02 Feb 2012
By: LESLIE KAY LIM
A YOUNG doctor who got his friend to do night shifts for him has been censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).
Dr Ho Mien, now 35, had a friend take two of his night shifts in 2008, claimed compensation, then paid his friend the amount.
He was a House Officer at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) at the time. Last December, he was officially charged with two counts of improper conduct that brought disrepute to the medical profession.
Since Dr Ho did not follow the established procedure for switching shifts, the chairman of the House Officer Training Committee at SGH lodged a complaint with the council in October 2008.
The acting chairman of the SGH Medical Board, Professor Fong Kok Yong, said in response to queries from The Straits Times: “There are established procedures in place for the assignment of call duties and for House Officers to change their scheduled duties.
“These procedures are made known to all House Officers during their orientation, and also by their departmental heads. We do not condone any misconduct in this area.”
Worried that a lack of action would send the wrong message to doctors under training, the SMC disciplinary committee decided to dole out punishment.
It censured Dr Ho and had him give a written statement that he will not engage in such conduct in future. He will also have to pay the costs and expenses of the proceedings.
But the sentence is lighter than it might have been due to several mitigating factors, the SMC said.
Testimonials in favour of his abilities and contributions to public service, and the fact that he could not complete his training during the length of the proceedings, were taken into account.
The SMC disciplinary committee was also reluctant to impose a financial hardship considering the early stage of his career.
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