Impact of Vice Activities Operating under Guise of TCM Services on Legitimate Practitioners

Mr Xie Yao Quan asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what is the Ministry's assessment of the impact that vice activities operating under the guise of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) services in HDB heartlands has had on legitimate clinics, practitioners and the overall TCM sector; and (b) what measures is the Ministry taking to mitigate this impact.

Cases where registered traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners knowingly lend their names as a front for non-registered practitioners to administer massage without a Massage Establishments (ME) licence, or to facilitate vice activities can adversely affect legitimate TCM practitioners and clinics.

The Ministry of Health and the TCM Practitioners Board (TCMPB) work closely with the Singapore Police Force to identify such errant registered practitioners. Since 2018, TCMPB has concluded four disciplinary cases involving registered TCM practitioners convicted of offences under the ME Act. Penalties imposed have ranged from suspension of registration to permanent cancellation of registration.