Statute Details
- Title: Nurses and Midwives Act 1999 (NMA1999)
- Full Title: An Act to establish the Singapore Nursing Board, to provide for the registration and enrolment of nurses, the registration of midwives and the certification of Advanced Practice Nurses and for matters connected therewith.
- Type: Act of Parliament
- Status: Current version (as at 27 Mar 2026)
- Revised Edition: 2020 RevEd (incorporating amendments up to 1 Dec 2021; in operation from 31 Dec 2021)
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the extract provided
- Legislative Purpose (Long Title): Establishes the Singapore Nursing Board; regulates registration/enrolment of nurses and midwives; provides for certification of Advanced Practice Nurses.
- Key Parts: Part 1 (Preliminary); Part 2 (Singapore Nursing Board); Part 3 (Registration and Enrolment); Part 4 (Offences); Part 5 (Advanced Practice Nurses); Part 6 (Miscellaneous); Part 7 (Transitional Provisions)
- Key Sections (from table of contents): s 3–11 (Board); s 12–25 (registration/enrolment and related matters); s 26–30 (offences); s 31–35 (Advanced Practice Nurses); s 36–44 (miscellaneous, complaints, inspectors, regulations); s 45–48 (transitional)
- Related Legislation: Medical Registration Act 1997; Midwives Act 1999
What Is This Legislation About?
The Nurses and Midwives Act 1999 (“NMA”) is Singapore’s core regulatory statute for the nursing and midwifery professions. In plain terms, it creates a statutory regulator—the Singapore Nursing Board (“Board”)—and sets up a licensing framework that controls who may practise nursing, who may practise as a midwife, and who may hold themselves out as an Advanced Practice Nurse.
The Act’s central policy objective is patient safety and professional accountability. It does this by requiring nurses and midwives to be properly registered or enrolled, by imposing conditions for maintaining authorisation to practise (including practising certificates), and by creating offences for unqualified practice and fraudulent or improper use of professional titles. It also provides mechanisms for disciplinary processes through complaints committees and related procedural powers.
In addition, the Act recognises that nursing practice can include advanced roles. Part 5 therefore provides for certification of Advanced Practice Nurses, including rules about how such certification is obtained and how the title may be used. The statute also includes transitional provisions to preserve the status of persons registered under earlier legislation and to manage pending disciplinary matters.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1) Establishment and functions of the Singapore Nursing Board (Part 2; ss 3–11). The Act establishes the Board and sets out its governance structure. It provides for membership (including appointed members), the appointment and removal of members, and the chairperson. It also regulates Board meetings and quorum, ensuring the Board can lawfully conduct business.
Practically, the most important provisions in Part 2 are those that define the Board’s functions (s 8) and its operational capacity (ss 9–11). The Board is empowered to administer the registration/enrolment system, manage professional standards, and oversee processes such as complaints and certification. The Act also allows the Board to appoint an executive secretary and other employees, and to appoint committees—important because many regulatory tasks (e.g., assessments, complaints handling, and certification-related administration) are typically delegated to committees.
2) Registration, enrolment, and authorisation to practise (Part 3; ss 12–25). Part 3 is the heart of the Act. It provides for the appointment of a Registrar (s 12) and the maintenance of the Register and Roll (s 13). The Act distinguishes between “registered” persons and “enrolled” persons, reflecting different categories of professional status.
Section 14 addresses registration and enrolment generally, while s 15 sets out the pathway to obtain registration/enrolment through medical examination, induction programme, competency assessment, and—where relevant—provisional registration and enrolment. The inclusion of competency assessment and induction programme requirements is significant: it signals that the regulatory framework is not merely administrative, but also competency- and readiness-focused.
Section 16 provides for temporary registration and enrolment. This is relevant for practitioners who may need time-limited authorisation (for example, during transitions, placements, or other circumstances contemplated by the Board’s regulatory framework). Section 17 contains general provisions for registration and enrolment, which typically cover administrative matters such as applications, conditions, and the Board’s discretion.
Practising certificates and ongoing compliance (s 18). Even after registration/enrolment, the Act requires a practising certificate to practise. This is a key compliance checkpoint. Practising certificates allow the Board to ensure that practitioners remain eligible to practise and that regulatory requirements continue to be met.
Regulatory consequences and appeals (ss 19–23). The Act provides for cancellation of registration or enrolment (s 19). It also addresses costs (s 20) and appeals (s 21). Section 22 states that conviction is final and conclusive, which is a strong evidential rule: once a conviction is established, it cannot be re-litigated in the regulatory context. Section 23 allows applications for re-registration, re-enrolment, or re-certification, which is important for practitioners who have had status removed or lapsed and seek restoration.
Public registers and certificates (ss 24–25). Section 24 provides for publication of registered nurses (and related categories) with practising certificates. This supports transparency and enables employers, patients, and other stakeholders to verify professional status. Section 25 provides for a certificate of the Registrar, which is typically used as documentary proof of entries or decisions.
3) Offences and title protection (Part 4; ss 26–30). Part 4 creates criminal offences designed to prevent harm from unqualified practice and to protect the integrity of professional titles. These offences include:
- False assumption of title (s 26): holding oneself out as a nurse/midwife when not entitled.
- Practice by unqualified persons (s 27): practising nursing or midwifery without proper qualification/authorisation.
- Employment of unqualified persons (s 28): imposing liability not only on individuals but also on those who employ unqualified persons to practise.
- Nurse’s agents (s 29): addressing arrangements where a person acts on behalf of a nurse—often relevant to agency work and delegation.
- Fraudulent registration (s 30): penalising dishonest conduct in obtaining or using registration.
For practitioners and employers, these offences are not merely theoretical. They create compliance obligations around verifying registration/enrolment and practising certificates, and around ensuring that staffing and contracting arrangements do not circumvent the statutory licensing regime.
4) Advanced Practice Nurses (Part 5; ss 31–35). Part 5 introduces a certification regime for Advanced Practice Nurses. Section 31 provides interpretation for this Part, including the meaning of “Advanced Practice Nurse” as a registered nurse certified under s 32.
Section 32 sets out certification of Advanced Practice Nurses and related matters. Section 33 requires publication of a list of Advanced Practice Nurses, supporting transparency. Section 35 creates offences for false assumption of the title of Advanced Practice Nurse, reinforcing that advanced designation is a regulated credential, not a self-assigned label.
5) Complaints, inspectors, and procedural powers (Part 6; ss 36–44). Although the extract does not reproduce the full text of these sections, the structure indicates that Part 6 provides for inspectors (s 36) and complaints committees (s 37). Section 38 confers powers on complaints committees to require attendance of witnesses and related procedural measures. The Act also provides for legal and medical assessors (s 39), service of documents (s 40), and rules about Board members in public service (s 41).
Section 42 addresses the Board’s funds. Section 43 provides a protection against actions against the Board in the absence of bad faith, which is important for institutional risk management. Section 43A introduces composition of offences (a mechanism often used to resolve certain offences without full prosecution, subject to statutory conditions). Finally, s 44 empowers the Board to make regulations, enabling detailed operational rules to be developed through subsidiary legislation.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Act is organised into seven Parts:
Part 1 (Preliminary) contains the short title and interpretation provisions (ss 1–2). The interpretation section is crucial because it defines key terms such as “Board”, “Registrar”, “Register”, “Roll”, “registered nurse”, “registered midwife”, “enrolled nurse”, and “practising certificate”.
Part 2 (Singapore Nursing Board) establishes the Board and sets governance, membership, meetings, and functions (ss 3–11).
Part 3 (Registration and Enrolment) creates the regulatory pathway for nurses and midwives, including registration/enrolment requirements, temporary authorisation, practising certificates, cancellation, appeals, and publication (ss 12–25).
Part 4 (Offences) criminalises unauthorised practice, improper title use, fraudulent registration, and related conduct (ss 26–30).
Part 5 (Advanced Practice Nurses) provides for certification and title protection for Advanced Practice Nurses (ss 31–35).
Part 6 (Miscellaneous) includes inspectors, complaints committees, procedural powers, assessors, service of documents, funding, and regulatory-making powers (ss 36–44).
Part 7 (Transitional Provisions) addresses continuity for persons registered under repealed legislation, saving of certificates, and pending disciplinary proceedings (ss 45–48).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Act applies primarily to persons who practise nursing or midwifery in Singapore, and to those who seek registration, enrolment, temporary registration/enrolment, or certification as an Advanced Practice Nurse. It also applies to employers and other persons who may employ or otherwise facilitate nursing or midwifery practice through “unqualified” persons (see the offence provisions on employment of unqualified persons).
In addition, the Act binds the regulatory system itself: the Board, its committees, inspectors, and complaints committees must operate within the statutory framework. The procedural provisions in Part 6 govern how complaints and related processes are handled, including powers to require attendance of witnesses and the use of legal and medical assessors.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
The NMA is important because it is the legal foundation for professional licensing in nursing and midwifery. For lawyers advising healthcare providers, employment agencies, and clinical governance teams, the Act creates clear compliance duties: verify registration/enrolment status, ensure practising certificates are current, and avoid arrangements that could amount to employing or enabling unqualified practice.
From an enforcement perspective, the offence provisions in Part 4 provide strong deterrence. Title protection and criminalisation of unqualified practice mean that professional misrepresentation can lead to serious legal consequences. The inclusion of “fraudulent registration” offences also underscores that the regulator treats integrity of the registration system as essential.
For practitioners, the Act also matters because it shapes career pathways and professional advancement. Registration/enrolment requirements, including competency assessment and provisional pathways, affect how individuals enter the profession. For those pursuing advanced roles, Part 5 provides the statutory basis for Advanced Practice Nurse certification and protects the credential through offences for false assumption of title.
Finally, the complaints and procedural framework in Part 6 is central to professional accountability. The Board’s ability to convene complaints committees, use assessors, and compel witness attendance supports effective disciplinary processes, which in turn protects patients and maintains public confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions.
Related Legislation
- Medical Registration Act 1997
- Midwives Act 1999
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Nurses and Midwives Act 1999 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.