Outpatient Medical Service

Regulatory requirements

When is an Outpatient Medical Service licence needed?

You will require an Outpatient Medical Service licence if you:

• Examine the outpatient’s body or mind.

• Assess the outpatient’s health.

• Observe, diagnose, and intervene in the outpatient’s health condition.

• Treat the outpatient for any condition, disability, disease, disorder or injury.

• Provide medical care to the outpatient.

• Perform either of the following which changes, or is intended to change, the outpatient’s appearance or anatomy:

  • A clinical procedure;

  • An invasive procedure that penetrates beyond the epidermis layer of the outpatient’s skin.

• Provide any other healthcare service that is incidental to the provision of a healthcare service mentioned in the paragraphs above, including:

  • The conduct of any simple in vitro diagnostic test on the outpatient; and

  • The conduct of any ultrasound imaging on the outpatient.

You will not require an Outpatient Medical Service licence if you:

• Certify the death of any individual.

For the legal definition of an Outpatient Medical Service, please refer to the First Schedule of the Act.

Applicable Specified Services and Mode of Service Delivery

Requirements to be a Clinical Governance Officer

An individual must be in good standing and fulfil all of the criteria below to be appointed as a Clinical Governance Officer (CGO).

1. For an individual to fulfil the requirements to be a CGO, he or she must:

   • Reside in Singapore during his or her appointment as a CGO

   • Be a fully registered medical practitioner with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and hold a valid practising certificate

   • Fulfil one of the following:

     • Registered under the Medical Registration Act as a family physician in the Register of Family Physicians, OR

     • Registered under the Medical Registration Act as a specialist in any branch of medicine, OR

     • Practised as a full time medical practitioner for at least 5 continuous years or an aggregate period of at least 5 years during a continuous period of 10 years in either

       • an Outpatient Medical Service,

       • an Outpatient Renal Dialysis Service,

       • an Acute Hospital Service

       • a Community Hospital Service or,

       • an equivalent healthcare institution under the Private Hospital and Medical Clinics Act

   • [For Remote MOSD only] Completed telemedicine e-training course as specified by MOH.

For further details on the qualifications, skills and competencies of a CGO, please refer to Regulation 7 of the Outpatient Medical Service Regulations.

2. For an individual to fulfil the suitability qualifications to be a CGO, he or she must not:

   • Have any of the following convictions, unless it is a spent conviction:

     • An offence involving fraud or dishonesty;

     • Offence under the HCSA, the PHMCA or any applicable Acts listed in the Annex A of the Code of Practice [PDF, 439KB];

     • An offence specified in the Third Schedule to the Registration of Criminals Act; or

     • Any other offence involving abuse, ill treatment, assault, or physical violence

   • Have a pending charge for an offence involving abuse, ill treatment, assault, or physical violence

   • Be an undischarged bankrupt

   • Have had his or her healthcare professional registration(s) under MOH cancelled, removed, or suspended

   • Have been a director or manager of a healthcare service provider that had its registration or licence suspended, cancelled, or revoked

   • Have had his or her accreditation or approval to participate in MOH-administered public schemes revoked or suspended

   • Lack capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2008.

For further details on the suitability requirements for a Key Office Holder, please refer to the Code of Practice [PDF, 439KB].

Licence fee

The applicable licence fee for Outpatient Medical Service is $360 for each stand-alone Mode of Service Delivery (MOSD). A MOSD fee bundle might apply if you provide Outpatient Medical Service via multiple MOSDs, e.g. permanent premises alongside temporary premises and remote.

If you provide Specified Services (SS), an additional SS approval fee will apply. The SS approval fee applicable depends on the SS cateogry (i.e., “simple” or “complex” SS).