Doc Drugs

This is the third doctor in 3 months. This doctor was fined $7,000. A previous one was fined $5,000 and another was suspended for 6 months. The silver lining in this cloud is that either the SMC is bothering to do some weeding in its garden or the CNB is investigating legitimate sources of Subutex which can be used for abuse, or both are cooperating i.e. if the SMC, which is a stat board, does not tend to its own regarding negligent sale of prescription drugs, CNB and the Court would and the punishments can be significantly harder.

According to the MOH website,

"Subutex (or buprenorphine hydrochloride) was approved for use in 2000 by the Ministry of Health and introduced in 2002 as substitution treatment for opiate-dependent (i.e. heroin) drug abusers. The aim of substitution therapy is to reduce craving for heroin and facilitate improvement in social functioning such as employment and personal relationships."

However, druggies with the help of some doctors closing one eye as these cases hint but don't explicitly state, managed to get their highs not from heroin but from liberal dosage of Subutex coctails instead.

Apr 19, 2010
GP fined for doling out Subutex
By Judith Tan

A GENERAL practitioner was fined $7,000 after he pleaded guilty to 122 charges for failing to exercise due care while prescribing Subutex, a controlled drug used in treating heroin addiction.

But as the offences were ccommited before Subutex was banned in 2006, Dr Chai Chwan escaped harsher punishment.

The Singapore Medical Council (SMC), in a statement on Monday, said the cases against the doctor arose from two complaints received in 2003 and 2004.

Dr Chai, who practices at Little Cross Family Clinic in Tampines, had then been too lax with prescribing Subutex, a drug previously used to wean patients off heroin. He also failed to have a management plan, nor kept detailed records of patients treated with Subutex.

While SMC, the medical watchdog, was disappointed that Dr Chai did not take proper care in 'treating his large number of patients', it considered the mitigating factors while meting out the punishment.

Dr Chai was also censured and had to give written undertaking to SMC that he would not repeat the offence, as well as pay the costs of the disciplinary hearing.