Statute Details
- Title: Nurses and Midwives (COVID-19 Vaccinators) Regulations 2021
- Act Code: NMA1999-S169-2021
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Enacting Authority: Singapore Nursing Board, with the approval of the Minister for Health
- Authorising Act: Nurses and Midwives Act (Cap. 209), section 44
- Regulation Number: No. S 169
- Date Made: 22 March 2021
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (Citation); Section 2 (Definitions); Section 3 (Persons who may carry out COVID-19 vaccinations)
- Amendment Noted in Extract: Amended by S 344/2021 with effect from 27 May 2021 (notably within the definition of “trained vaccinator”)
- Current Version Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026 (per provided metadata)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Nurses and Midwives (COVID-19 Vaccinators) Regulations 2021 (“COVID-19 Vaccinators Regulations”) are a targeted set of rules made under the Nurses and Midwives Act (Cap. 209). In plain terms, the Regulations address a practical regulatory problem that arose during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout: who is legally allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines, and under what conditions, particularly in designated vaccination centres.
Vaccination is a clinical activity that may overlap multiple healthcare professions and licensing regimes. The Regulations therefore create a controlled pathway for certain categories of persons—beyond strictly “registered nurses” in the ordinary sense—to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations. The key safeguard is that vaccinations must be performed at a “designated vaccination centre” and under the supervision of a “medical practitioner”.
Most importantly, the Regulations operate as an exception mechanism. They carve out (disapply) certain requirements in the Nurses and Midwives Act when the activity is performed by a “trained vaccinator” in the specified setting. This approach allows the healthcare system to scale up vaccination capacity while maintaining professional oversight and legal clarity.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Section 1 (Citation) is straightforward: it identifies the instrument as the “Nurses and Midwives (COVID-19 Vaccinators) Regulations 2021”. While not substantive, citation is important for legal referencing in compliance documentation, regulatory correspondence, and any subsequent enforcement or judicial review context.
2. Section 2 (Definitions) is the backbone of the Regulations. It defines the terms that determine who can vaccinate and where. The definition of “COVID‑19 vaccination” is limited to an “intramuscular injection” intended to provide protection against COVID‑19. This matters because it narrows the scope to the relevant route and purpose, reducing ambiguity about whether other forms of administration or other vaccines fall within the Regulations.
The definition of “designated vaccination centre” is also critical. It means any place, premises or conveyance approved by the Director of Medical Services for administration of COVID‑19 vaccinations for or on behalf of the Government. Practitioners should note that this is not merely any clinic or hospital. The approval by the Director of Medical Services is a legal condition for the exception to apply. For compliance, vaccination providers should ensure that the site is formally designated and that operational staff understand the geographic and organisational boundaries of “designated vaccination centre”.
3. “Trained vaccinator” (Section 2) is the most complex and legally significant definition. It enumerates a broad set of persons who are certified to have passed a vaccinator training course and the competency assessment conducted at the designated vaccination centre. The definition includes:
- Persons previously registered or enrolled under the Nurses and Midwives Act whose registration/enrolment was cancelled only on specified grounds (referenced to section 19(1)(g) of the Act).
- Lawfully resident persons in Singapore who have completed an accredited course of nursing, or are undergoing such a course and have completed training in carrying out an intramuscular injection.
- Persons registered under the Medical Registration Act but without a valid practising certificate under that Act (a category that may include medically qualified individuals who are not currently licensed to practise).
- Lawfully resident students enrolled in a course leading to qualifications specified in schedules to the Medical Registration Act, who have started clinical training.
- Persons registered under specified provisions of the Allied Health Professions Act.
- Persons registered under specified provisions of the Dental Registration Act who hold a valid practising certificate.
- Persons registered under the Pharmacists Registration Act with a valid practising certificate.
- Paramedics (with defined qualification pathways).
- National servicemen who have completed specified Emergency Medical Technician training.
- Foreign-authorised nurses (with at least one year’s experience working as an authorised/registered nurse in a healthcare institution in that state or territory).
From a practitioner’s perspective, the definition is not simply “anyone with a healthcare background”. It is a composite test: (i) the person must fall into one of the enumerated categories, and (ii) must be certified to have passed a vaccinator training course and competency assessment conducted at the designated vaccination centre. This dual requirement is likely to be central in any dispute about whether a particular individual was legally authorised to vaccinate.
4. “Vaccinator training course” (Section 2) identifies the approved providers: National University of Singapore (Alice Lee Centre of Nursing Studies), Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and Parkway College of Nursing and Allied Health Pte Ltd. This again supports legal certainty and quality control. If an individual’s training was conducted by a non-listed provider, the certification may not meet the statutory definition, even if the training content was similar.
5. Section 3 (Persons who may carry out COVID‑19 vaccinations) is the operative provision. It creates two disapplication rules—one for the act of carrying out vaccinations, and another for employment/engagement arrangements.
Section 3(1) provides that, for the purposes of section 27(6)(c) of the Nurses and Midwives Act, section 27(1) of the Act does not apply to a “trained vaccinator” who carries out a COVID‑19 vaccination at a designated vaccination centre, under the supervision of a medical practitioner.
In practical terms, this means that the ordinary restriction in section 27(1) (not reproduced in the extract) is not enforced against a trained vaccinator in the specified circumstances. The legal effect is an exception: trained vaccinators can administer COVID‑19 vaccines without being blocked by the general prohibition/limitation that would otherwise apply under the Nurses and Midwives Act.
Section 3(2) similarly disapplies section 28(1) of the Nurses and Midwives Act for the purposes of section 28(4)(c), but in the employment/engagement context. It states that section 28(1) does not apply to the employment or engagement of a trained vaccinator to carry out COVID‑19 vaccinations at a designated vaccination centre, under the supervision of a medical practitioner.
This is important for employers and programme administrators. It clarifies that the legal exception is not limited to the individual’s personal authority; it also extends to the staffing and engagement arrangements used to deploy trained vaccinators. Without such a provision, an organisation might face legal risk in contracting or employing trained vaccinators to perform vaccination tasks.
Supervision requirement: Both subsections hinge on supervision by a “medical practitioner”. While the extract does not define “medical practitioner”, the condition is clear: the trained vaccinator’s authority is not standalone. For compliance, vaccination centres should document supervisory arrangements, ensure supervisors are present or otherwise comply with the supervision standard expected under the Nurses and Midwives Act framework, and maintain records that demonstrate the statutory conditions were met.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Regulations are concise and structured around three provisions:
- Section 1 (Citation): Names the Regulations.
- Section 2 (Definitions): Defines “COVID‑19 vaccination”, “designated vaccination centre”, “national serviceman”, “paramedic”, “trained vaccinator”, and “vaccinator training course”. This section determines eligibility and scope.
- Section 3 (Persons who may carry out COVID‑19 vaccinations): Provides the operative disapplication rules, allowing trained vaccinators to vaccinate and allowing their employment/engagement for that purpose, but only at designated vaccination centres and under medical supervision.
Notably, the Regulations do not create a standalone licensing regime. Instead, they function as an exception overlay on the Nurses and Midwives Act, using disapplication of specific subsections.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Regulations apply to persons who fall within the definition of “trained vaccinator” and who carry out COVID‑19 vaccinations at a “designated vaccination centre” under the supervision of a medical practitioner. The scope is therefore both person-based (enumerated categories plus training/assessment certification) and activity-based (intramuscular COVID‑19 vaccination) and place-based (approved designated centres).
They also apply to entities that employ or engage such persons to carry out vaccinations at designated centres. This includes vaccination programme operators, healthcare institutions, and potentially contractors involved in staffing vaccination sites. The disapplication in section 3(2) is designed to reduce legal uncertainty for recruitment and deployment arrangements, provided the statutory conditions are satisfied.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
From a legal and compliance standpoint, these Regulations are significant because they provide a clear statutory mechanism to expand the pool of authorised vaccinators during a public health emergency. They balance the need for rapid capacity with safeguards: only trained vaccinators who have completed approved training and competency assessment at designated centres may vaccinate, and only under medical supervision.
For practitioners advising healthcare providers, the Regulations are a practical tool for risk management. They help determine whether a particular staff member (or contractor) can lawfully administer COVID‑19 vaccines, and whether the provider’s staffing model is legally defensible. The “designated vaccination centre” and “medical practitioner supervision” conditions are likely to be the most litigable or compliance-sensitive elements, because they are factual and operational.
Additionally, the Regulations illustrate how Singapore’s regulatory framework can interoperate across professions. The definition of “trained vaccinator” draws from multiple statutes (Nurses and Midwives Act, Medical Registration Act, Allied Health Professions Act, Dental Registration Act, Pharmacists Registration Act) and includes paramedics and national servicemen. This cross-professional approach is legally meaningful: it prevents the vaccination programme from being constrained by the strict boundaries of one profession’s registration rules, while still requiring training and competency assessment.
Related Legislation
- Nurses and Midwives Act (Cap. 209)
- Allied Health Professions Act (Cap. 6B)
- Dental Registration Act (Cap. 76)
- Enlistment Act (Cap. 93)
- Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174)
- Midwives Act
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Nurses and Midwives (COVID-19 Vaccinators) Regulations 2021 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.