Reduced Practice for fully registered doctors

Reduced Practice

Examples of Doctors in Reduced Practice are those who have retired or are doing full-time administrative work. They can have lower minimum CME requirements on application.

Doctors in reduced practice can only write prescriptions for:

• himself/herself

• spouse

• child

• adopted child

• stepchild

• grandchild

• sibling

• parent

• step-parent

• grandparent

Application for Reduced Practice

A doctor in Reduced Practice can apply for a Practising Certificate (PC) with lower compulsory CME requirements. The doctor must submit an online application via the SMC Professional Registration System in SMC’s website to apply for Reduced Practice. Once approved, the doctor will have his/her compulsory CME requirements lowered to:

1. 10 points per year for those holding a 1-year PC; or
   20 points per 2 years for those holding a 2-year PC; and

2. There will be no core point requirements nor a cap on points earned within any CME category.

This should be followed by an application for lower-fee PC at least 1 month before the doctor’s current PC expiry date*.

*Note: A doctor whose PC has lapsed or expired is not eligible to apply for Reduced Practice.

To apply for a full-fee PC with a validity start date on/after 1 January 2026, doctors are required to accumulate 50 CME points, of which 10 core points in each of your registered specialty and/or Family Medicine; and 5 Mandatory Medical Ethics (MME) core points within 24 months prior to the application or during the qualifying period (whichever is applicable).

Resuming from Reduced to Full Practice

A doctor must inform the Singapore Medical Council of the date that he/ she wishes to resume full practice once he/ she has fulfilled the applicable CME requirements, in the period of 24 months immediately preceding the date on which he/ she wishes to resume practice.

CME Categories

Please click here for more information on the various CME categories that doctors may claim from.

New Requirements for Resuming Full Practice from Reduced Practice

From 1 January 2027 onwards, doctors who apply to resume full practice after being in reduced practice for three years or more will be required to submit a satisfactory performance assessment report for SMC’s consideration as a condition for the grant of a practising certificate (PC) to resume full practice. To obtain the assessment report, the doctor will have to undergo an Observership under the supervision of a fully registered doctor approved by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for either 3 months (full-time) or 6 months (part-time) in an SMC-accredited healthcare institution.

For avoidance of doubt, these new requirements will not apply if the doctors have been in reduced practice for less than three years when they apply to resume full practice from 1 January 2027. Please note that existing requirements continue to apply where the doctor must fulfil the CME requirements (view complete guidelines) and do not have outstanding SMC election fine.