An old experienced doctor who probably knew he knew best, and if the patient had a drug dependency and always went to him for prescription and consultation, all the better. Doctors and the healthcare industry are businesses and repeat customers are good as the sales mindset goes.
Aug 11, 2010
Doctor fined for sleeping pillsTHE Singapore Medical Council (SMC) has censured and fined a doctor after he admitted to seven charges of professional misconduct over the treatment of his patients with hypnotics.
Dr Tham Pak Onn, 72, who was practising at Tham Dispensary at Geylang Road, pleaded guilty to failing to exercise due care in the management of his patients at a disciplinary inquiry held against him on June 28, following a complaint to the SMC.
SMC said in a statement on Tuesday that the charges included inappropriate prescription of hypnotics to the patients, failure to refer the patients to a medical specialist for further assessment and treatment and failure to record or document the patients' medical records.He also failed to formulate any long term management plan for the treatment of the patients' medical conditions. Long term consumption of hypnotics may lead to drug dependence, said the disciplinary committee (DC).
'The DC stated that it was the duty of all doctors to be familiar with and to understand current medical standards and prescribing practices in the interests of their patients, and that it was crucial for doctors to formulate a long term management plan to minimise the possibility of creating dependency on such medication in these patients,' said the SMC statement.
The DC found that Dr Tham 'had acted in disregard of his professional duties since the prolonged prescription of hypnotics without specialist referral or proper medical records was inappropriate and unprofessional.' In making its decision, the DC considered several mitigating factors, including the fact that Dr Tham faced relatively few charges, he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had cooperated with the authorities. Dr Tham, who is a senior member of the medical profession and had a long standing good record until the disciplinary proceedings, had also voluntarily ceased practice in February 2008, said the committee.
'The DC also specifically mentioned that the sentence did not include a term of suspension which is the usual sentence for misconduct of improper prescription of hypnotics because of the strong mitigating factors in this case. As such, it should not be viewed that doctors convicted of improper prescription of hypnotics will only incur a fine,' added the SMC. Dr Tham also had to give a written undertaking to the Medical Council that he will not engage in similar conduct and pay the costs and expenses of the inquiry proceedings.
