SINGAPORE - Twelve healthcare firms have been charged with abetting a self-employed foreign doctor by engaging him at their clinics when he did not have a valid work pass.

Representatives for the firms appeared in a district court on Thursday (July 29) to receive the charges for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

The firms are Avermed, CMI Health Services, CMI Lifemed, Health 2.0, Healthway Medical Group, Ihealth, Silver Cross Healthcare, Prohealth Medical Group @ LRT Fernvale, My Family Clinic (Hougang Central), My Family Clinic (RV), My Family Clinic (TH) and Pacific Family Clinic.

They allegedly committed the offences over a period of eight years between 2011 and 2019.

A Dr Queck Kian Kheng is named in all the charges.

In an online search for registered healthcare professionals in Singapore, The Straits Times found a doctor with the same name specialising in neurology.

This Dr Queck graduated from a Malaysian university but is not on the Register of Family Physicians here. He has a practice at the KK Queck Neurology Centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital's Medical Centre A in Thomson Road.

It could not be confirmed if this Dr Queck is the doctor named in the charges.

My Family Clinic (Hougang Central) was handed the most number of charges - eight. It is accused of abetting Dr Queck by engaging him at its clinic at Block 804 Hougang Central without a valid work pass on multiple occasions between December 2011 and May 2019.

The other 11 firms each faces between two and six charges. Their clinics are located across the island, including Woodlands, Clementi and Bedok.

The court heard on Thursday that Prohealth Medical Group @ LRT Fernvale and Pacific Family Clinic intend to plead guilty to their charges on Sept 9.

The cases involving the other 10 firms have been adjourned to Aug 26.

For each charge under the Act, an offender can be fined up to $20,000.