Singapore Medical Council

[2023] SGHC 212 High Court (General Division) 4 August 2023 HC/OA 712/2023

1 cases cited Cited by 1 case

Outcome

Application allowed in part

“For the reasons given above, I allow the application for an extension of time, but only be up to 1 September 2023.”

Source: [2023] SGHC 212, High Court (General Division), decided 4 August 2023. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	4 August 2023
Judge	Choo Han Teck
Charges / claim	Civil Procedure
Outcome	Application allowed in part
Counsel	Braddell Brothers LLP, Lim Ngee Tong Samuel, Thng Yu Ting, Angelia

Source: [2023] SGHC 212, High Court (General Division), decided 4 August 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Civil Procedure – Extension of time – s 45(4) Medical Registrations Act

Practice Areas

Civil Procedure

Judges (1)

Choo Han Teck Delivered

Counsel (3)

Braddell Brothers LLP Firm Lim Ngee Tong Samuel Counsel for the applicant Thng Yu Ting, Angelia Counsel for the applicant

Parties (1)

Singapore Medical Council Applicant

Case Significance

Re Singapore Medical Council [2023] SGHC 212 is a grounds of decision of the General Division of the High Court delivered on 4 August 2023 in Originating Application No 712 of 2023, with Choo Han Teck J presiding. The Singapore Medical Council applied under s 45(4) of the Medical Registration Act 1997 (2020 Rev Ed) for an extension of time for its Complaints Committee to complete its inquiry into whether a complaint about a doctor, referred to as Dr N, should be referred to the Disciplinary Tribunal or otherwise dealt with. The application was brought on 18 July 2023, a day before the 19 July 2023 deadline for the inquiry expired. The judgment considers the extension of time under s 45(4), noting that there is no automatic grant and that the process for investigating complaints was changed by Parliament with effect from 1 July 2022.

Summary

The Singapore Medical Council applied under s 45(4) of the Medical Registration Act 1997 for an extension of time for its Complaints Committee to complete an inquiry into a complaint against Dr N concerning alleged failures in diagnosis and treatment. Noting the application was filed a day before the deadline and that Parliament intended expeditious resolution of complaints, the High Court granted the extension but only up to 1 September 2023.

What was Re Singapore Medical Council [2023] SGHC 212 about?

It was an application by the Singapore Medical Council under s 45(4) of the Medical Registration Act 1997 for an extension of time for its Complaints Committee to complete its inquiry into a complaint about a doctor, Dr N, decided by Choo Han Teck J on 4 August 2023.

When was the extension of time application brought in [2023] SGHC 212?

The Singapore Medical Council brought the application on 18 July 2023, a day before the 19 July 2023 deadline for the Complaints Committee's inquiry expired; the court noted there is no automatic grant of an extension of time.