The intent of the co-location requirement is to prevent the public from being misled that the unlicensed service is being regulated within a co-located space when it is not.

While SMC’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (ECEG) (section B6) requires doctors to treat patients only according to generally accepted methods, based on a balance of available evidence and accepted best practices, it does not restrict doctors from practising CAM, provided that it is practised in an ethical manner and only those modalities specifically approved by SMC i.e., needle acupuncture (section B9 of ECEG).

Doctors who wish to provide SMC-approved CAM modalities within the same licensed premises should write in to MOH for approval.

In deciding whether to grant an approval for non-licensed services to be provided within the same licensed premises, factors that will be taken into consideration include whether the non-licensed service complements or supports the licensed healthcare service.

Non-SMC approved CAM modalities or treatments/services where there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the use should not be provided as this could potentially mislead the public into believing that such therapies are part of mainstream healthcare services and are evidence-based or peeraccepted.