Health Sciences Authority
Encyclopedia
The Health Sciences Authority (Abbreviation
: HSA; Chinese: 卫生科学局); Malay: Penguasa Sains Kesihatan) is a statutory board
under the Ministry of Health
of the Singapore Government.
- Bloodbank@HSA; and it represents the national expertise in forensic medicine, forensic science and analytical chemistry
testing capabilities. These support other regulatory and compliance agencies in the administration of justice and in safeguarding public health.
: the Centre for Drug Evaluation; Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine; National Pharmaceutical Administration; Product Regulation Department; and Singapore Blood Transfusion Service.
Today, the agency’s professional knowledge, skills and competencies are housed in three professional groups: the Health Products Regulation Group; Blood Services Group, and Applied Sciences Group. Each group functions as Divisions comprising branches, units and laboratories. The three professional groups work with the corporate HQ that provides strategic direction and corporate support for advancing the organisation.
. The agency also contributes to the formulation of national drug policies.
HSA’s risk management system takes into account pre-and-post market precautionary options. On the pre-market front, HSA administers clinical trials for new drugs and grants approvals for these products before they are marketed in Singapore. Audits on good manufacturing and distribution practices are also conducted.
On the post-market front, HSA monitors health products in the market through regulatory surveillance activities. The agency also carries out investigations and takes enforcement action against illegal activities related to unregistered, counterfeit and adulterated health products. HSA has an established and active pharmacovigilance
monitoring programme that draws on its network of healthcare professionals and overseas regulators. This allows HSA to initiate targeted and prompt alert action in response to reported adverse drug events. This allows the agency to expedite the isolation of such problems and minimise harm to public health and safety.
In support of the national objective to reduce smoking
, HSA enforces the laws that prohibit tobacco
advertisements, smoking by youths under 18 years old as well as the sale of tobacco products to youths in this age group.
screening criteria, a reliable battery of tests that is conducted on all collected blood, and a strong quality system.
The HSA has maintained a strategic partnership with the Singapore Red Cross
since 2001 in managing the National Blood Donor Recruitment and Retention Programme. In 2007, about 55,000 individuals came forward to make blood donations.
The agency is the reference centre for immunohaematology
, tissue typing
and transfusion medicine
in the country. It offers immunohaematology services and tissue typing services to healthcare institutions in Singapore and the region. It also provides clinical consultative services in the speciality of transfusion medicine. In recent years, it has embarked on the development of a Cell Processing Laboratory to support the new area of clinical cell therapy.
in chemistry. This Group supports other regulatory and compliance agencies in the administration of justice and safeguarding public health. The Group comprises: Forensic Medicine Division, Forensic Science Division, Illicit Drugs and Toxicology Division, Pharmaceutical Division, Food Safety Division and Chemical Metrology Division.
The range of services cover forensic medical consultancy services in support of death investigation in Singapore; forensic science services such as criminalistics and DNA profiling in support of criminal investigations and illicit drugs control; analytical testing in support of health products regulation, cigarette and tobacco product control; water testing; and food safety regulation. Toxicological services are also provided to hospitals.
In collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR), HSA has been a designated institute for chemical metrology in Singapore since 2008.
(MOU) with international partners. This is part of its commitment to enhance inter-agency regulatory efforts on the global front. Its international partners include agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada
, Swiss Medic, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration
and the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration.
HSA’s competencies have been recognised by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). Its professional groups have being identified as WHO Collaborating Centres in three core areas of expertise - Transfusion Medicine, Drug Quality Assurance and Food Contaminants Monitoring.
HSA has been internationally accredited by the AABB
(formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks), and also the American Society of Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics. It is a founding member of the Asian Pacific Blood Network. As a WHO Collaborating Centre, the agency is an appointed Regional Quality Management Training Centre for Blood Transfusion Services.
For its forensic medicine and forensic sciences capabilities, HSA has received endorsements from various established global agencies. It is the first agency outside of the United States of America to be accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), and it also accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board, and the Singapore Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SINGLAS).
The agency is also a United Nations
International Drug Control Programme Reference Laboratory for Biological Specimens and Seized Materials.
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: HSA; Chinese: 卫生科学局); Malay: Penguasa Sains Kesihatan) is a statutory board
Statutory boards of the Singapore Government
The statutory boards of the Singapore Government are organisations that have been given autonomy to perform an operational function. They usually report to one specific ministry.*Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority...
under the Ministry of Health
Ministry of National Development (Singapore)
The Ministry of National Development is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to land use planning and infrastructure development...
of the Singapore Government.
Overview
HSA is a multi-disciplinary agency. It applies medical, pharmaceutical and scientific expertise to protect and advance public health and safety. The organisation serves three key functions: It is the national regulator for health products; it secures the national blood supply through its operation of the national blood bankBlood bank
A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
- Bloodbank@HSA; and it represents the national expertise in forensic medicine, forensic science and analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
testing capabilities. These support other regulatory and compliance agencies in the administration of justice and in safeguarding public health.
Background
The HSA was formed on 1 April 2001 with the integration of five specialised agencies under the Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health (Singapore)
The Ministry of Health is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for providing information, raising health awareness and education, ensuring the accessibility of health services, and monitoring the quality of health services provided to citizens and visitors in the Republic of...
: the Centre for Drug Evaluation; Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine; National Pharmaceutical Administration; Product Regulation Department; and Singapore Blood Transfusion Service.
Today, the agency’s professional knowledge, skills and competencies are housed in three professional groups: the Health Products Regulation Group; Blood Services Group, and Applied Sciences Group. Each group functions as Divisions comprising branches, units and laboratories. The three professional groups work with the corporate HQ that provides strategic direction and corporate support for advancing the organisation.
Health Products Regulation
The HSA’s Health Products Regulation Group ensures that medicines, medical devices and other health products available in Singapore meet appropriate and acceptable standards in quality, safety and efficacyEfficacy
Efficacy is the capacity to produce an effect. It has different specific meanings in different fields. In medicine, it is the ability of an intervention or drug to reproduce a desired effect in expert hands and under ideal circumstances.- Healthcare :...
. The agency also contributes to the formulation of national drug policies.
HSA’s risk management system takes into account pre-and-post market precautionary options. On the pre-market front, HSA administers clinical trials for new drugs and grants approvals for these products before they are marketed in Singapore. Audits on good manufacturing and distribution practices are also conducted.
On the post-market front, HSA monitors health products in the market through regulatory surveillance activities. The agency also carries out investigations and takes enforcement action against illegal activities related to unregistered, counterfeit and adulterated health products. HSA has an established and active pharmacovigilance
Pharmacovigilance
Pharmacovigilance is the pharmacological science relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects, particularly long term and short term side effects of medicines...
monitoring programme that draws on its network of healthcare professionals and overseas regulators. This allows HSA to initiate targeted and prompt alert action in response to reported adverse drug events. This allows the agency to expedite the isolation of such problems and minimise harm to public health and safety.
In support of the national objective to reduce smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
, HSA enforces the laws that prohibit tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
advertisements, smoking by youths under 18 years old as well as the sale of tobacco products to youths in this age group.
National Blood Service
The Blood Services Group is the national blood service of Singapore and is responsible for the adequacy and safety of the country’s blood supply. It runs the Bloodbank@HSA, which collects, processes, tests and distributes blood and blood components to all hospitals in Singapore. The agency has established a framework to ensure that there is a steady supply of safe blood for day-to-day needs at hospitals and during emergencies. The framework covers the recruitment of voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, stringent blood donationBlood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
screening criteria, a reliable battery of tests that is conducted on all collected blood, and a strong quality system.
The HSA has maintained a strategic partnership with the Singapore Red Cross
Singapore Red Cross
The Singapore Red Cross started out in 30 September 1949 as part of the British Red Cross Society. In 6 April 1973, the Singapore Red Cross was officially incorporated by the Parliament of Singapore...
since 2001 in managing the National Blood Donor Recruitment and Retention Programme. In 2007, about 55,000 individuals came forward to make blood donations.
The agency is the reference centre for immunohaematology
Immunohaematology
Immunohematology, more commonly known as blood banking is a branch of hematology which studies antigen-antibody reactions and analogous phenomena as they relate to the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of blood disorders. A person employed in this field is referred to as an immunohematologist...
, tissue typing
Tissue typing
Tissue typing is a procedure in which the tissues of a prospective donor and recipient are tested for compatibility prior to transplantation. An embryo can be tissue typed to ensure that the embryo implanted can be a cord-blood stem cell donor for a sick sibling.One technique of tissue typing,...
and transfusion medicine
Transfusion medicine
Transfusion medicine is the branch of medicine that is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood components. The blood bank is the section of the clinical laboratory where medical technologists process and distribute blood products under the supervision of a medical director, often...
in the country. It offers immunohaematology services and tissue typing services to healthcare institutions in Singapore and the region. It also provides clinical consultative services in the speciality of transfusion medicine. In recent years, it has embarked on the development of a Cell Processing Laboratory to support the new area of clinical cell therapy.
Forensic and Analytical Sciences Expertise
HSA’s Applied Sciences Group represents Singapore’s national expertise in forensic medicine, forensic sciences, analytical scientific capabilities as well as the new developing area of metrologyMetrology
Metrology is the science of measurement. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement. The word comes from Greek μέτρον , "measure" + "λόγος" , amongst others meaning "speech, oration, discourse, quote, study, calculation, reason"...
in chemistry. This Group supports other regulatory and compliance agencies in the administration of justice and safeguarding public health. The Group comprises: Forensic Medicine Division, Forensic Science Division, Illicit Drugs and Toxicology Division, Pharmaceutical Division, Food Safety Division and Chemical Metrology Division.
The range of services cover forensic medical consultancy services in support of death investigation in Singapore; forensic science services such as criminalistics and DNA profiling in support of criminal investigations and illicit drugs control; analytical testing in support of health products regulation, cigarette and tobacco product control; water testing; and food safety regulation. Toxicological services are also provided to hospitals.
In collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore...
(A*STAR), HSA has been a designated institute for chemical metrology in Singapore since 2008.
International Alliances, Affiliations and Collaborative Efforts
HSA has established strong collaborations through Memoranda of UnderstandingMemorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
(MOU) with international partners. This is part of its commitment to enhance inter-agency regulatory efforts on the global front. Its international partners include agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada
Health Canada
Health Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health.The current Minister of Health is Leona Aglukkaq, a Conservative Member of Parliament appointed to the position by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.-Branches, regions and agencies:Health Canada...
, Swiss Medic, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration
Therapeutic Goods Administration
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is the regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia . It is a Division of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing established under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 ...
and the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration.
HSA’s competencies have been recognised by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). Its professional groups have being identified as WHO Collaborating Centres in three core areas of expertise - Transfusion Medicine, Drug Quality Assurance and Food Contaminants Monitoring.
HSA has been internationally accredited by the AABB
AABB
The AABB is a United States-based professional body and standards organization that was founded in 1947 as the American Association of Blood Banks. The organization is now international with members in 80 countries and has taken on a broader scope to include all of transfusion medicine as well as...
(formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks), and also the American Society of Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics. It is a founding member of the Asian Pacific Blood Network. As a WHO Collaborating Centre, the agency is an appointed Regional Quality Management Training Centre for Blood Transfusion Services.
For its forensic medicine and forensic sciences capabilities, HSA has received endorsements from various established global agencies. It is the first agency outside of the United States of America to be accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), and it also accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board, and the Singapore Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SINGLAS).
The agency is also a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Drug Control Programme Reference Laboratory for Biological Specimens and Seized Materials.