The Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) will replace the current Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA) in phases.
HCSA Phase 2 implementation in June 2023 will affect existing PHMCA licensees offering the following:
- Acute Hospital Service
- Community Hospital Service
- Ambulatory Surgical Centre Service
- Assisted Reproduction Service
- Dental Service
- Medical Service
- Outpatient Renal Dialysis Service
- Human Tissue Banking Service
- Nuclear Medicine Service
To continue offering your service(s), your licence will be transited from the PHMCA to the HCSA by June 2023. Thereafter, you will use the Healthcare Application & Licensing Portal (HALP), the new licensing system, for your licensing transactions under HCSA instead of the current e-Licensing (eLIS) system used for PHMCA licensees.
Complete Steps 1 & 2 for MOH to map your existing PHMCA licence over to HCSA seamlessly.
1. PHMCA Licensees are required to renew your licence before it expires (Table 1). Only PHMCA licensees with a valid licence tenure in eLis will be transited to HALP. Once your licence is renewed, it will be automatically converted into a HCSA licence from mid-June 2023.
a. If your current PHMCA licence expires before 1 September 2023, please submit your renewal application in eLIS before 1 April 2023.
b. If your current PHMCA licence expires on or after 1 September 2023, please submit your renewal application in HALP from 1 June 2023 onwards. You should submit your licence renewal 2 months prior to licence expiry to avoid late fee charges.
2. Some Phase 2 licensee groups have been asked to confirm the Specified Services (SSes) which they intend to provide under their Licensable Healthcare Service (LHS) licences. (Refer to box below.)
3. From April to May 2023, MOH will engage licensees to sign up for training sessions to familiarise themselves with HALP.
4. There will be an administrative blackout period from 17 to 31 May 2023 (both dates inclusive) for data migration from eLis to HALP. During this period, licensees will only be able to view their licence(s) in eLis. No application can be submitted in eLis during the blackout period.
ATTENTION: MOH has reached out to selected Phase 2 licensee groups to confirm the SSes which they intend to provide under their Licensable Healthcare Service (LHS) licences. These Phase 2 licensees provide: Ambulatory Surgical Centre Service, Dental Service, Medical Service, and Outpatient Renal Dialysis Service. Licensees who have received the notification from MOH are to provide the information by 3 February 2023. If you belong to any of the 4 identified Phase 2 licensee groups but have not received the notification from MOH, please reach out to us at HCSA_Enquiries@moh.gov.sg. |
Table 1: Licence Renewal
PHMCA licence expiry date | Licence renewal | Renew in which system? |
Expires before 1 September 2023 | By 1 April 2023 | eLIS |
Expires from 1 September 2023 onwards | From 1 June 2023 onwards | HALP |
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You may find the transitioning decks for each Licensable Healthcare Service in the table below.
Table 2: Transitioning materials applicable to Phase 2 HCSA Licensees
*To be provided in due course.
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If you are not a licensee under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA), and you intend to provide a Licensable Healthcare Service (LHS) under HCSA Phase 2, you must submit a new licence application in the Healthcare Application & Licensing Portal (HALP) from 1 June 2023 onwards.
If the application is successful, the applicant will receive an approval email notification informing them of the approval, along with a link to print the HCSA licence.
ATTENTION: Click here to let us know if you plan to provide/are providing any of the Phase 2 services, so that we can engage you early to prepare for and process your new HCSA licence:
1. Telemedicine (i.e. teleconsultations by doctors)
2. Mobile medicine (e.g. house calls) |
How to apply for a new HCSA licence?
You will need to:
1. Login to HALP using SingPass or CorpPass.
a. Select the types of LHSes, SSes and MOSDs provided
b. Key in licensing details and other service related information
c. Attach supporting documents
d. Submit application and pay licence fees as stated
e. Fill in the self-assessment checklist
2. Receive confirmation on inspection date.
a. Ensure documents are ready for inspection (e.g. MOM’s Registration for Pressure Vessels, NEA’s Licence for Irradiating Equipment)
b. Inspectors may contact you for further clarifications after inspection
3. Receive email notification on application status after all licensing requirements have been met.
4. View e-licence on HALP upon approval.
5. Update on HALP if there are any changes to your licence.
For enquires, you may email us at HCSA_Enquiries@moh.gov.sg.
Table 3: Timelines for licensing matters under HCSA
Licence changes | Deadline |
Note: Please logon to HALP for all licensing matters pertaining to HCSA |
New licence application for Phase 2 licensable services | Submit in HALP from 1 June 2023 onwards |
Renew a licence | Renewals of your HCSA license can be submitted from as early as 6 months before the licence expires. A late renewal fee will be applicable if the renewal is submitted 2 months before the licence expires. If your licence has expired, you will be required to submit a new licence application |
Addition of premises or conveyances to a licence | Submit a new application at least 2 months before the service is provided in that additional premises or conveyance |
Removal of premises or conveyances to a licence | Submit a cessation application at least 1 month before stopping provision of service in that premises or conveyance |
Change of licensee name | Submit a request for change (RFC) application at least 1 month prior to the change |
Any other amendments | Notify MOH at least 10 calendar days before the change |
Notification of cessation | Notification of intention to cease must be made not less than 1 month prior to cessation |
Notification of death of licensee | Director must be notified of the licensee’s death within 1 month |
Note: it is not longer a requirement for licensees to display their licence in their permanent premises. However, licensees are to provide details of their licence and LHSes if requested by patients.