Regulation and Supervision of Cord Blood Banking Industry

Mr Alex Yam Ziming asked the Minister for Health (a) how is the cord blood banking industry regulated and supervised; and (b) what guarantees or recourse are there for consumers who make use of these services should there be service lapses.

Some parents elect to store their children's cord blood during delivery. Cord blood banking service is a licensable healthcare service regulated under the Healthcare Services Act, which covers the activities on the handling, processing and storage of cord blood obtained from an individual and intended for clinical use.

All cord blood banks in Singapore are subject to inspections once every two years to assess their compliance with regulatory requirements. Targeted audits may also be conducted to review any specific areas of concerns.

If a cord blood bank is found to be non-compliant, the Ministry of Health can take regulatory action. This includes modifying any licence condition, shortening the licensing term, or enforcement actions, such as imposing financial penalties or prosecution. The penalties include fines of up to $20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both. Consumers can seek recourse from their cord blood banking provider in the event of service lapses, depending on the service contracts that they have entered into.