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All medical practitioners must report suspected Kpod cases within 7 days

The Straits Times

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September 02, 2025

With etomidate listed as a Class C drug from Sept 1, all medical practitioners are legally required to report suspected abusers to the authorities within seven days.

- David Sun

Unlike those who come forward willingly, these abusers can be investigated and prosecuted.

In a circular dated Aug 29, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said this requirement is effective from Sept 1.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, any medical practitioner who attends to someone suspected of being a drug addict has to report the suspect to the director of medical services and director of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) within seven days.

The regulations state that they are to provide the suspected offender's details, including the person's name, age, address and identity card number.

The report may also include how often that person has been attended to by the medical staff, the prescriptions and the suspect's physical symptoms.

The circular said suspected etomidate vape offenders are those who turn up with vapes or admit to vaping, and who show symptoms such as unsteady gait, confusion or slurred speech.

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