SINGAPORE - A dentist will have his Medisave accreditation suspended by the Health Ministry (MOH) next year, after he submitted claims for more costly surgical procedures that he did not do instead of the actual procedures that he did.

In a statement on Monday, MOH said it is working with the dentist, Dr Sng Wee Hock, to refund the excess money claimed to the patients' Medisave accounts.

This is the first case in which a doctor or dentist has had his Medisave accreditation suspended since the Medisave scheme was launched in 1984. Doctors and dentists, and their clinics, need to be Medisave-accredited in order for their patients to use Medisave for their treatment.

Dr Sng currently practises at two Medisave-accredited clinics at Punggol Field and Hougang under WH Dental Surgeons. He owns a third clinic at Serangoon North, which is not Medisave-accredited.

With the suspension, Dr Sng can continue to practise as a dentist, but treatment and surgical procedures done by him from Jan 1 to June 30 next year will not be eligible for Medisave claims. Other dentists at the two clinics can still make Medisave claims for their treatment.

MOH said it has asked Dr Sng and both clinics to inform his patients that they will not be able to make Medisave claims for his treatment.

MOH added that Dr Sng had been issued a letter of probation in February for multiple submissions of non-compliant Medisave claims.

He was given a 12-month probation period, during which he submitted more than two of such claims, leading to the suspension.