Susan Lim appeal against SMC decision: Focus is how much doctors should charge

How much a doctor can and should charge was a key issue when the high-profile case of Susan Lim and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) came up before the Court of Appeal on Tuesday morning.

She is appealing against an SMC disciplinary committee's guilty verdict for professional misconduct over the amount she had charged a royal patient from Brunei.

The cost of about half a year's care totalled $24 million before she halved it to $12.1 million with a discount. SMC handed her a three-year suspension and $10,000 fine.

Dr Lim's lawyer, Senior Counsel Lee Eng Beng, said SMC's finding was "a grotesque breach of the principles of fairness and natural justice".

He added: "Some medical services are expensive because of the nature of the engagement, the equipment required, or the customised, service demands of the patient."

Senior Counsel Alvin Yeo is acting for the SMC.

The appeal is before judges Chao Hick Tin, Andrew Phang and V.K. Rajah.

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