Health and Safety Authority sends file on Creeslough tragedy to DPP

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in Singapore is set to gain more regulatory and investigative powers under a proposed new law, as part of the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill. The proposed transfer of powers from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to HSA would include the administration and enforcement of various Acts, such as the Biological Agents and Toxins Act, Human Biomedical Research Act, Infectious Diseases Act, MediShield Life Scheme Act, and Termination of Pregnancy Act.

HSA would also assume regulatory functions for the licensing of healthcare services, ensuring patient safety and public interest. This includes overseeing the licensing of acute and community hospitals, blood banks, medical transport service providers, dialysis centres, and nursing homes. The HSA would also be responsible for conducting investigations and enforcement actions, such as the audit of cord blood banking company Cordlife, which led to a suspension of its license for taking on new business due to lapses in cord blood unit storage.

Other roles for the authority would involve investigating offences and taking enforcement action, while the secretariat of healthcare professional boards would also be transferred to HSA.

Brief written by urgent.news from Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.