Doctor struck off register over false declarations in death certificates

SINGAPORE – A doctor who falsely declared in electronic death certificates that he had inspected the bodies of three people when, in fact, he had not done so was struck off the register on July 6.

Sebastian Kwan Yann Haur, whose main business was issuing death certificates and did not run a clinic, was originally handed a three-year suspension in 2025 by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) disciplinary tribunal.

He was found guilty of four charges of professional misconduct: three pertaining to his false declarations that he had examined the bodies of the deceased persons, and one pertaining to his certification of the cause of death of one of them without adequate clinical evidence.

SMC appealed to the Court of Three Judges, arguing that a striking-off was warranted as Kwan had acted dishonestly and had not shown remorse.

The court, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Tay Yong Kwang and Justice Hri Kumar Nair, agreed.

Menon said Kwan had shown dishonesty in making the false declarations, which had potentially dire consequences.

The Chief Justice added that Kwan’s willingness to issue such declarations and his attempt to trivialise his actions before the court suggested a defect in the doctor’s character.

By Kwan’s own account in court, he had been issuing death certificates for 30 years.

The court was told that he issued three or four death certificates a day, charging $250 for each.

The three cases for which he was sanctioned involved individuals between the ages of 73 and 80 who died between November 2019 and March 2020.

Their family members had contacted Kwan to certify the deaths, and he issued a digital document known as an electronic certificate of the cause of death before arriving to examine the bodies.

He said he had issued the certificates based on what the family members had told him about the deceased person’s medical history, or on photos of medical reports sent over WhatsApp.

While Kwan admitted that he had deviated from procedure, he alleged he had done so in response to repeated “police discrimination”. 

He claimed that some police officers were prejudiced against him and would “pressure” family members not to engage his services.

Kwan claimed that he did the “inverse procedure” to prevent his services from being cancelled while he was making his way to the homes.

He said: “It was unintentional. It was meant for my convenience to prevent the discrimination I encountered.”

Kwan added that he has not been practising since 2025. “If you strike me off, I accept it.”

SMC’s lawyer, Chang Man Phing, said Kwan lacked remorse and showed a persistence to reoffend, even though he knew what he was doing was wrong.

The lawyer cited Kwan’s explanation to the disciplinary tribunal, in which he likened his actions to paying for a meal in a different way.

Kwan had compared it to how, at McDonald’s, one pays for a meal first before getting the food, while in other restaurants, one eats first and pays the bill at the end.

“It’s the same thing,” he had said.

Chang said Kwan had also described the certifying doctor’s role as “perfunctory” because the police make the decision on whether a death is classified as natural or unnatural, and whether foul play was involved.

She added that Kwan was motivated by financial benefit.

When the Chief Justice asked Kwan what it was about these three cases that had prompted him to give false declarations, Kwan replied that it was because they were in the eastern part of Singapore.

Kwan said he lived in the west and that there was a higher chance the family members might cancel his services before his arrival.