MOH Intending to Revoke MaNaDr Clinic’s Medical License for Abusing MC; 41 Doctors Also Referred to SMC

Liao liao, lai liao.

If you’re someone who takes MC for oversleeping, or someone who takes MC because there was a Jay Chou concert the night before, this would be a…wake-up call for you.

Because for the first time, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is taking stern action against a clinic for giving MCs way too easily.

In a press release on 24 October, MOH announced its intention to revoke MaNaDr Clinic’s license for all outpatient medical services.

But first, what happened?

Background and Initial Investigation in MaNaDr Clinic

The troubles for MaNaDr Clinic began earlier when MOH received several complaints about their telemedicine services.

In August, the clinic was directed to suspend its outpatient telemedicine services following concerning findings about their practices.

The investigation revealed alarming patterns in their teleconsultations, with more than 100,000 video calls lasting one minute or less in a single month, some as brief as one second.

Yes, one second; I can’t even say “MC” in one second.

The clinic was found to have issued an excessive number of medical certificates (MCs) to patients over short periods. In one particularly striking case, a single patient received 19 MCs in just one month.

Additionally, there were significant discrepancies in patient documentation – some case notes contained detailed information that seemed impossible to gather during such brief consultations, while others were extremely sparse.

I mean, unless they’re written by ChatGPT, it’s unlikely that one can write so much in such a short period of time.

The Latest Update

With that, MOH has issued a notice of intended revocation that covers all forms of outpatient medical services, including in-person, temporary, and remote consultations.

In addition, MOH has identified 41 doctors for referral to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for possible professional misconduct.

Among these, 13 were locum practitioners who violated their employment agreements by conducting teleconsultations while simultaneously employed by public healthcare institutions. These doctors had breached their employment terms by undertaking external employment and conducting secondary clinical activities without the approval of their employers.

A locum practitioner is a healthcare professional who temporarily fills in for another practitioner, such as a doctor or dentist, during periods of absence or increased demand. They work on a short-term basis, providing continuity of care without long-term commitment.

Think of them as part-timers lah.

The ministry’s decision stems from its assessment that MaNaDr Clinic has demonstrated an “entrenched culture of disregard” for clinical and ethical standards2. The clinic has been given 14 days to respond to MOH’s notice.

And oh, it might not be just MaNaDr Clinic.

Watch this video and you’d know more: