TCM physician suspended over issue of MCs

An 81-year-old traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician who issued medical certificates to students without properly assessing their condition has been suspended for three months.

The TCM Practitioners Board said yesterday that it also fined Cheong Thiam Mui $2,000 after an investigation.

It received a complaint that Cheong had issued 122 medical certificates to 109 students of a private education academy between December 2013 and March last year while working as a TCM physician and acupuncturist at Cheong's Clinic in Burlington Square in Bencoolen Street.

The complainant, who was not named by the TCM Practitioners Board, alleged that the certificates were issued "without adequate TCM evaluation of the students' medical condition".

Its investigation committee set up also found that Cheong had not properly examined four of the students, not kept proper patient records on them, and "misrepresented the facts in the medical certificates issued by her for the four students".

The TCM Practitioners Board suspended Cheong's registration as a TCM physician and as an acupuncturist from Aug 1.

She was also fined.

Cheong was also made to give a written undertaking "that she will not issue medical certificates without proper TCM examination of her patients and that she will keep proper patients' records of all her patients in accordance with the Ethical Code for TCM Practitioners and relevant regulations".

In addition, Cheong was ordered to pay the costs and expenses of the investigation.

Amir Hussain

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 13, 2015, with the headline TCM physician suspended over issue of MCs. Subscribe