Page:Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008.pdf/4

4 PART I PRELIMINARY Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“designated medical practitioner”, in relation to any psychiatric institution, means a medical practitioner who is working in the psychiatric institution and who is designated by name or office in writing by the Director or such public officer as he may appoint, for the purposes of this Act;

“Director” means the Director of Medical Services;

“medical practitioner” means any person who is registered as a medical practitioner under the Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174);

“mental disorder” means any mental illness or any other disorder or disability of the mind, and “mentally disordered” shall be construed accordingly;

“patient” means any person who has been detained or is receiving treatment in a psychiatric institution;

“principal officer”, in relation to any psychiatric institution, means the chairman, medical board of the hospital which has been designated as a psychiatric institution or a part of which has been designated as a psychiatric institution, as the case may be, and includes any acting chairman of the medical board or any person acting in a similar capacity as chairman, medical board, whether or not he is known by such designation;

“property” includes anything in action and any interest in real or personal property;