AN 88-YEAR-OLD woman died about two months after she began taking overly high daily doses of a medication meant to stabilise her heartbeat.

The doctor who increased the dosage of her medication by mistake, Dr Diana Ramos Santos, 38, has been struck off the rolls by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).

This means that she can no longer practise medicine in Singapore.

The regulator of the medical profession here also fined her $3,000, and ordered her to pay for the costs of the disciplinary proceedings.

It censured her and made her promise, in writing, not to repeat her misconduct.

On March 26, 2005, the patient, Madam Koh Ah Tow, had gone for a regular check at Clementi Polyclinic.

Dr Santos, then a medical officer there, had increased Madam Koh's daily dose of digoxin - which makes the heart beat slower but with greater force - by four times.

In a coroner's inquiry into Madam Koh's death held in June 2006, Dr Santos said that she realised her mistake soon after, and had called the polyclinic's pharmacy to correct the prescription.

But the two pharmacy technicians who had attended to Madam Koh denied having spoken to Dr Santos about it.

In a statement on Wednesday, the SMC noted that Dr Santos had behaved unprofessionally by prescribing the inappropriate dose, and by not taking 'reasonable steps' - such as amending the prescription or issuing a new one - to correct the error after she realised it.