SINGAPORE – The 14 members of the newly established Singapore Veterinary Council (SVC) comprise veterinarians from the public and private sectors, as well as two non-veterinary professionals.
The council’s mix is to ensure balanced decision-making that draws on professional expertise while safeguarding the public interest, said the council and Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) in a media release on Sept 11.
SVC, which comes under the Veterinary Practice Act passed on April 8, has been set up to raise professional standards of the growing sector, and to ensure that vets meet established standards and are held accountable for their practice.
SVC president Cathy Chan told The Straits Times that the establishment of the vet council was something the industry had been looking forward to for a long time.
“It is also the desire of all vets to have an impartial body to help set a standard for ourselves that we can all work towards. Being a vet and dealing with animals and their humans, it is multi-layered,” said Chan, a vet of over 20 years.
SVC would be more of a collaboration between the client, the vet, and also the patient, with the patient being at the core, she added.
“With animal welfare at the centre, the trio have to work together, to agree upon the treatments or other options. It boils down to good communication basically… We try as much as possible to avoid (rectifying) situations.”
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