Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill passed in Parliament

29 September 2026

On 9 September 2026, the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill (“Bill”) was passed in Parliament. The Ministry of Health published a press release on the Bill and the opening and closing parliamentary speeches delivered at the second reading by Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information and Ministry of Health. 

Background 

Currently, the regulatory ecosystem is organised across three different agencies: 

  • The Ministry of Health (“MOH”) regulates healthcare services, health information, human biomedical research, and biosafety; 
  • The Health Sciences Authority (“HSA”) regulates health products such as medicines and medical devices; and 
  • The Secretariat of Healthcare Professional Boards (“SPB”) supports the healthcare Professional Boards and Councils that oversee the regulation of doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals. 

The Bill will consolidate and establish an integrated health regulatory function under HSA. MOH explains that there are three key benefits under the consolidated structure: 

  • Greater clarity and predictability for industry, innovators, and healthcare providers: An integrated regulator will allow licensing applications and enquiries to be managed by one agency, making information and responses more coordinated and clearer for stakeholders; 
  • Greater regulatory alignment across the research and clinical care continuum: Researchers and clinicians across the research and clinical care continuum will experience clearer and more consistent guidance upstream, thereby strengthening protection for research; and
  • Streamlined interface for the public: Members of the public will have a streamlined interface with the regulator, whether they have concerns about a medicine they have purchased, a medical device used in their care, or the healthcare service provider or professional caring for them. 

MOH will continue to be responsible for stewardship of Singapore’s healthcare system, including the national healthcare regulatory policies, to ensure it remains safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable, while HSA will undertake and execute the integrated regulatory functions within the scope of the Bill in support of MOH’s policies and directions. 

Legislative amendments 

To achieve these outcomes, the Health Sciences Authority Act 2001 will be amended to expand HSA’s functions and enable consolidation across three main areas: 

  • HSA will administer and regulate the Human Biomedical Research Act 2015, and the Biological Agents and Toxins Act 2005, taking over these functions from MOH; 
  • HSA officers will assist the Minister for Health and the Director-General of Health in administering or enforcing specified MOH Acts, such as the Healthcare Services Act 2020 and the Health Information Act 2026 when it commences; and 
  • HSA will take on the functions of the SPB to support the Professional Boards and Councils in delivering their regulatory mandate. The Professional Boards and Councils’ existing self-regulatory and disciplinary roles remain unchanged. 

Implementation

 The consolidation will take place over two phases. MOH’s regulatory functions and manpower will be transferred to HSA in November 2026 in the first phase, while SPB’s functions and manpower will be transferred to HSA by end-2027 in the second phase. 

Reference materials 

The following materials are available on the Parliament website www.parliament.gov.sg and MOH website www.moh.gov.sg: