SINGAPORE: A general practitioner who improperly prescribed long-term sedative medication to his patients had his licence to provide outpatient medical services revoked on Wednesday (May 8), said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
This was the first such revocation by MOH under the Healthcare Services Act 2020.
Dr Maninder Singh Shahi was in January suspended for three years by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) after it was found that he inappropriately prescribed sedatives to seven patients for more than a decade, causing them to become dependent on the drugs.
He also did not refer most of his patients to a psychiatrist or specialist for further management in a timely manner, and failed to maintain sufficient details in patients’ medical records.
The SMC found Dr Maninder guilty of 14 charges of professional misconduct.
Due to his suspension by the SMC, MOH said on Wednesday it assessed that Dr Maninder is “no longer a suitable person to be holding a licence to provide outpatient medical services”.
A veteran family doctor with 35 years of experience, Dr Maninder practised at 81 Family Clinic located in Marine Parade Central, which has since been renamed Legacy Clinic.
But without a valid licence to provide outpatient medical services, Dr Maninder can no longer operate his clinic. He is also not allowed to treat patients at their residence or remotely via telehealth services.
FIRST REVOCATION UNDER NEW LAW
Under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA), which replaced the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA) in 2020, healthcare providers need to apply for licences for the services they provide, as well as appropriate modes of service delivery.
This is a change from the PHMCA, where providers were licensed based only on physical premises.
The revocation of Dr Maninder’s licence, including that to provide health services remotely, is “the first time MOH has revoked a medical practitioner’s licence to provide outpatient medical services granted under the Healthcare Services Act 2020”, said MOH.
MOH on Wednesday also terminated his clinic’s Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) scheme and Healthier SG participation, and revoked its MediSave accreditation.
This also means that the clinic cannot make claims on behalf of patients under CHAS or PHPC, and will cease to enrol new residents and provide relevant benefits to Healthier SG enrollees under its care.
Patients will not be able to use MediSave to pay for the treatment and services they receive at the clinic.
“Given the suspension of his registration as a medical practitioner, MOH has also revoked Dr Maninder’s MediSave accreditation as an approved medical practitioner,” the ministry said.
“MOH has requested that Dr Maninder inform all affected patients to ensure continuity of care. Affected patients may wish to visit other nearby CHAS-accredited or MediSave-accredited clinics instead.”
The ministry reminded all healthcare professionals to uphold a high standard of professionalism and adhere to the SMC’s ethical code and guidelines.
