SINGAPORE: On her Facebook page on Monday morning, Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) noted a “small but important” win in Parliament regarding the issue of mental health.
Ms He, who has called for better regulation of Singapore’s mental health practitioners, asked during the Ministry of Health Committee of Supply debate last year if the percentage of individuals advertising psychological services who meet and don’t meet the Singapore Register of Psychologists registration standards is being tracked by the government.
She also asked what qualifications are claimed by those who fail the standards and pushed for mandatory registration. These were among the points she followed up during this year’s debate.
Ms He noted that reports have also emerged of unqualified individuals offering counselling services on platforms such as Carousell, which had been featured in a Straits Times report last month.
Last month, she wrote in another post that, like many others, she has become increasingly worried about the risks associated with unregulated mental health services. While acknowledging that the majority of mental health professionals are dedicated and well-trained, she nevertheless highlighted a need for a universal standard of care with a baseline level of training and ethics as well as for “a regulating body with input from key associations as well as ensure there are safeguards for those who work with vulnerable minors”.
In her latest post, she noted that the Health Ministry has announced it will be working towards regulating psychologists to ensure they meet legally required standards. MOH said earlier this month that in light of its efforts to strengthen mental healthcare services and ensure patient safety, the government will soon be requiring psychologists in Singapore to register in order to practise, with a particular focus on those who provide direct care, which involves higher-risk assessments and interventions.
CNA quotes Senior Minister of State for Health Dr Janil Puthucheary as saying: “This will raise professional standards, safeguard patient safety and increase public confidence in psychological services.”
In her post, Ms He wrote, “I’m glad that this decision has now been made because not only will this likely improve patient safety, it will encourage those who need help to seek it with confidence. While implementation is still some way off, I hope that the Ministry will work with the relevant professional bodies to ensure that there will be a clear path to regulation, and to announce concrete steps and timelines to do so without further delay.” /TISG