SINGAPORE: A traditional chinese medicine practitioner has been fined S$5,000 and given a two-month suspension after a series of lapses, including treating a patient remotely for about three years, the TCM Practitioners Board said on Tuesday .
"There was no evidence of any face-to-face consultation or physical evaluation done by Ms Foo thereafter," said the board."Ms Foo only spoke to the patient’s mother on a weekly basis over the phone to understand the patient’s medical condition and then proceeded with prescription of TCM medications for the patient."The patient's sister also accused Ms Foo of visiting their home once without prior consent to retrieve unconsumed medication.
An investigation committee found that Ms Foo had breached TCM regulations by administering medication to the patient in the absence of face-to-face consultation and clinical evaluation for an extended period of about three years.She had also failed to keep proper medical records so as to enable proper aftercare and service for the patient should any other TCM or medical health practitioner take over.
"Despite having such knowledge, Ms Foo opted not to conduct any necessary and timely investigation to ascertain the patient’s medical condition and thus exposed the patient to significant risks and potential harm."