SINGAPORE: MaNaDr Clinic is set to get its licence revoked after a Ministry of Health ( MOH) probe into its short teleconsultations.
MOH on Thursday ( Oct 24 ) issued , a notice of intended revocation of licence to MaNaDr Clinic for the provision of outpatient medical services across all its modes of service deliveries, including physical, temporary and remote.
According to the ministry,” This is in view of the MOH’s examination that MaNaDr Clinic cannot continue to provide outpatient health services in a clinically and ethically correct manner.”
If its permission is revoked, the doctor may give inpatient services at its center at 371 Beach Road City Gate, at momentary premises such as treating patients at their residences, and electronically via teleconsultations.
The Singapore Medical Council ( SMC) will also receive a referral for 41 doctors who “potentially violated one or more of the ethical rules in SMC’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines” in the case of possible professional misconduct.
” These guidelines pertain to a doctor’s duty of care, clinical evaluation of patients, provision of telemedicine, medical records, issuance of medical certificates (MCs ), and prescription of medicines”, said MOH in its press release.
Research FINDINGS
On August 16, MOH directed MaNaDr Clinic to prevent offering inpatient teleconsultations until further notice.
It looked into the patient’s procedures and the skilled practices of its doctors more thoroughly. These studies have been completed.
It discovered that a , “very large number of cases” witnessed by MaNaDr Clinic specialists involved very brief teleconsultations with video calling that lasted one minute or less, but which ended with the prescription of drugs and the release of MCs.
Concerns are raised by the relatively brief interviews about the health and quality of patient care, such as whether or not the drugs and Microgrid were prescribed and given on valid health grounds.
Some people received several Clusters over a number of different teleconsultations in a short period of time, for as 30 days, after these brief teleconsultations.
” In some instances, individual event notes contained detailed data that was not comparable with the brief period of the teleconsultation. Likewise, in other instances, calm situation notes were really limited or small, which possibly compromise the continuity of patient care”, said the health ministry.
According to MOH, there is reason to believe that MaNaDr Clinic has an “inner society of disregard for the appropriate medical and social requirements.”
The director-general of wellbeing is also satisfied that MaNaDr Clinic cannot continue to offer ambulatory health services in a” scientifically and morally appropriate” way.
MaNaDr Clinic has 14 days to contact MOH to make representations.
” In addition, MOH is currently reviewing whether Dr Siaw Tung Yeng, the principal officer and clinical governance officer of MaNaDr Clinic, has discharged his duties in these capacities satisfactorily, in assessing his suitability to continue acting in these capacities”, said the ministry.
Last year,  , CNA reported , concerns about certain telemedicine apps issuing MCs after extremely brief consultations. After a 43-second remote consultation, a CNA reporter obtained an MC from MaNaDr.