Private companies offer paternity tests here

Paternity testing came into the spotlight this week when MediaCorp actor Terence Cao said he wanted a DNA test done to prove allegations by a woman from Shanghai that he is the father of her 19-month-old daughter.

There is a steady demand for paternity testing in Singapore, say private companies here that offer it. They are Paternity Testing Corporation Singapore, easyDNA Singapore and i-DNA Genetics. Paternity Testing Corporation Singapore and easyDNA Singapore opened here a year ago, while i-DNA Genetics opened seven years ago.

They advertise their services online, with paternity tests costing between $500 and $600. The DNA samples are sent to laboratories in the United States or United Kingdom for testing.

However, in Singapore, under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics (PHMC) Act, samples for clinical genetic testing can be collected only at licensed medical clinics, clinical laboratories and hospitals such as the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).