SINGAPORE: A doctor who wanted to provide certain aesthetic treatments at his new clinic forged certificates as part of the licence application process.
Using his wife’s certificates as templates, Bernard Tan Wen Sheng printed his name in a similar font size, placed it over his wife’s name, then scanned the altered documents.
He submitted four certificates, forged in this manner, to the authorities.
In fact, Dr Tan did not attend two of the four workshops that were prerequisites to obtaining the certificates. He attended the other two workshops but had lost his original certificates.
Tan pleaded guilty to two out of four counts of forgery on Monday (Jun 30), and one count of giving false information to a public servant. The remaining charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Dr Tan is still registered as a doctor, according to the Singapore Medical Council’s database. His practising certificate is set to expire at the end of this year.
USED WIFE’S DOCUMENTS
Around February 2023, Dr Tan decided to set up his own practice, called Bay Aesthetics Clinic, at Marina Bay Link Mall.
He had to apply for a clinic licence from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to do so.
As part of the process, applicants must submit certificates of competence showing they have attended workshops and passed exams for each procedure the clinic intends to offer.
When an MOH officer asked for certificates for botulinum toxin injections, fillers and chemical peels. Dr Tan realised he did not have the originals. He decided to alter his wife’s certificates, which had been issued for
During Dr Tan’s application process, a staff member from MOH asked for certificates in relation to three services his clinic would provide: botulinum toxin injections, fillers and chemical peels.
Dr Tan realised he did not have the original certificates and decided to alter his wife’s certificates, which had been issued in 2017 for chemical peels, intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for hair removal, filler injection and botulinum toxin injections.
He placed a slip of paper with his name – printed in matching font size – over his wife’s name, scanned the documents and emailed them to MOH on Feb 21, 2023.
Dr Tan did not attend workshops related to chemical peels and IPL hair removal.
He did attend workshops for filler injections and botulinum toxin injections on Mar 26, 2017, but had lost the original certificates.
MAINTAINED LIE
The MOH employee replied on Feb 27, 2023, to say that the Aesthetic Dermatology Education Group (ADEG), which had issued the certificates, could not find records of his attendance at the workshops for chemical peels and IPL hair removal.
The MOH employee requested the original certificates or an email confirmation of his attendance by the ADEG. In the email, the employee warned Dr Tan against providing false information, drawing his attention to the relevant section and penalties under the law.
In reply, Dr Tan insisted he had attended the workshops but lost the original certificates.
He lied that the certificates he sent were “grainy” as his family members had scanned them after a fire in his home in October 2017l, which resulted in water damage to some of his documents.
He maintained in a further email that the copies he scanned were from his original certificates.
Dr Tan’s application was approved on Mar 13, 2023, but he was only allowed to provide the services for filler injections and botulinum toxin injections, as MOH could only verify his attendance for these workshops.
Dr Tan eventually attended the workshops for chemical peel and IPL hair removal on Apr 29, 2023.
The prosecution sought four to six months’ jail for Dr Tan.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan said that had the forged certificates gone undetected, Dr Tan would have got away with a licence to provide four aesthetic services despite not being certified as competent to provide two of these safely.
“Given that the offences were committed against a public institution, compounded by their effect on public health and safety, we submit that the accused’s present offences must be met with a deterrent sentence to drive home the message that such offences will not be tolerated,” Ms Tan said.
Dr Tan’s sentencing has been fixed for Jul 29.
For providing false information to a public servant, Dr Tan can be jailed up to six months, or fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900), or both.
For forgery, he can be jailed up to four years, or fined, or both, on each count.
