Council to regulate standards, practices of vets in S’pore to be set up by 2025

SINGAPORE – A council that aims to raise professional standards and practices in the veterinary sector will be established by 2025.

On top of providing greater clarity on standards and ethics in the sector, it will also investigate and enforce disciplinary cases relating to professional misconduct, Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How announced on Friday.

Speaking at the Singapore Vet Show, a two-day conference and exhibition at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mr Tan said that the council will provide better support for veterinarians, veterinary nurses and technicians.

Vets here are currently licensed and regulated by the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) under the National Parks Board (NParks), and are required to comply with the Code of Ethics for Veterinarians, which sets out the expected professional standards of conduct. AVS investigates complaints of professional misconduct or negligence.

“NParks will continue to engage with stakeholders on the vet council, and will share more information when ready,” Mr Tan said.

Dr Kelvin Lim, AVS’ director of veterinary health division, told The Straits Times that issues such as costs of medication and treatment will be looked into further as the authorities continue consultations with stakeholders, and to determine if these issues can be addressed through the veterinary council.

According to Dr Lim, the council will also similarly look into issues concerning different aspects of veterinary medicine, including surgery, medicine and euthanasia.

“As we set up the veterinary council, I think one of the key objectives will also be trying to appreciate what is the emphasis, and what the priorities of the veterinary council (are), moving forward,” said Dr Lim.

He added that it has to be done together with both professionals and members of the public as part of the veterinary council, so issues that arise will have necessary representation among stakeholders.

The council will be set up as a professional body under NParks, with legislation to support its functions.

NParks said that the council will be responsible for governing the registration of veterinary professionals, accrediting veterinary training programmes, developing and reviewing sectoral standards, as well as investigations and enforcement in disciplinary cases, in line with similar practices in places such as Britain and Australia.

The council will also more clearly define the scope of activities that can be performed only by veterinary professionals.

It will comprise members from both the public and private sectors, similar to other local professional bodies, and is expected to support between 1,000 and 1,500 veterinary professionals.

For guidance, NParks had studied the set-ups of overseas veterinary boards such as the Veterinary Practitioners Board of New South Wales in Australia, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in Britain.

The veterinary council’s role will be distinct from that of AVS.

AVS will continue to regulate veterinary clinics and animal-related businesses, safeguard animal health and welfare, and act as the first responder for all animal-related feedback in Singapore, NParks said.

Need to regulate and support growing veterinary sector

NParks on Friday acknowledged the need to regulate and support the growing veterinary sector, noting that the pet population in Singapore has risen over the years, along with a corresponding growth in the sector’s size, scope and complexity.

In March 2022, the authorities

mooted the possible establishment of a professional body

to regulate practice in the veterinary sector as part of a wider review by AVS and the Singapore Veterinary Association to raise professionalism across the pet sector, including for boarders and breeders.

Survey findings released in April 2022 found that lack of recognition and poor career progression have

led to a shortage of veterinary staff

in Singapore.

In May 2021,

vets called for their welfare and mental health needs to be considered

in the authorities’ review of the sector, while vet nurses and technicians

asked for their professions to be regulated

so that standards can be raised.

The cost of pet ownership

continues to rise.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has also been a spike in the numbers of abandonment cases, with animals discarded for reasons such as higher costs, lack of research by owners, and ageing caregivers and children with allergies.

Animal cruelty figures have also spiked, with numbers at their

highest year in more than a decade.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) investigated 862 cases of cruelty and welfare concerns between July 2022 and June 2023 – the highest in 11 years.

Meanwhile, business appears to be booming in the sector. The number of licensed vets has gone up almost four times – from 121 in 2006 to 542 as at May 2023.

“There has also been a significant rise in the number of specialists and other related workers involved in providing or supporting the administration of medical treatments and healthcare to animals, including veterinary technicians, veterinary nurses and animal physiotherapists,” said NParks.

The variety of veterinary services and treatments has also grown.

For example, procedures such as specialised surgical procedures, chemotherapy and acupuncture are being offered more widely amid increasing public scrutiny on the ethics of the types of services provided, including for novel therapies.

Dr Chow Haoting, president of SVA, the society representing the interests of the veterinary community in Singapore, lauded the move as a “big step forward for the advancement of animal welfare and for the betterment of the profession”.

“With the formation of the veterinary council, we can ensure and safeguard the elevation of the veterinary profession, and with that, we can provide better health and services for our pets and animals within the country, especially community animals. With that, of course, pet owners or foster caregivers of these animals, would benefit.”

He pointed out that topics the association has discussed with the authorities over the years include guidelines on the use of antimicrobials – the use of antibiotics for veterinary medicine – and vaccines.

Dr Chow also gave the example of non-veterinarians practising cosmetic surgery on ornamental fish, noting that the veterinary council would help to draw the line between what non-veterinarians can or cannot do.

He added: “There’s a lot more work to be done, and we will definitely be participating very actively and passionately to make this the best step forward for the country.”