TCM providers, practitioners can apply for accreditation from Oct 17; first 5 clinics granted status

The programme comprises two components: TCM Services Accreditation for service providers and TCM Practitioners Accreditation for individual practitioners.

Service providers will be assessed on areas including governance, hygiene and infection control, equipment and TCM medications.

Individual practitioners will be assessed on factors such as their educational qualifications, clinical experience and professional standing.

The Academy of Chinese Medicine, Singapore has been appointed as the accrediting body for the programme.

Mr Ong said the accreditation framework was developed with input from the TCM community, including through site visits and mock audits.

Several providers have since strengthened their processes, governance and standards, he added.

Accreditation is voluntary, and registered TCM practitioners and service providers can continue practising or operating regardless of whether they are accredited.

Mr Ong said the aim was to establish accreditation as something “beyond licensing of practice”. “It demonstrates a commitment to stronger governance, consistent standards and public confidence,” he said.

Accreditation could also create opportunities for practitioners and providers to work with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on future TCM care models and contribute to national healthcare initiatives.

For instance, the Agency for Integrated Care will facilitate more collaborations between Active Ageing Centres and accredited TCM providers to bring TCM closer to the communities they serve.

Kwong Wai Shiu TCM Centre and Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution have already started doing so, said Mr Ong.

MOH is also studying a suggestion to allow accredited TCM practitioners to order X-rays as part of collaborative shared-care arrangements with general practitioner (GP) partners, he said.

Currently, a TCM practitioner who suspects that a patient has a fracture cannot order an X-ray, and must instead advise the patient to visit an emergency department or refer the patient to a Western medicine doctor who can order one.