The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) ordered a doctor who was charged with raping and molesting a 23-year-old patient at his clinic, not to consult female patients without a female chaperone present.
The council announced the order, as well as other conditions and restrictions imposed on the doctor, on a 28 April statement.
On 24 February this year, Dr Wee Teong Boo, 66, was charged in the State Courts with raping a female patient and molesting her at his clinic, Wee’s Clinic & Surgery, at Bedok North Avenue 2 in 2015.
SMC said in the statement, “While recognising that Dr Wee had not been convicted of the Charges and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the SMC also considered the seriousness of the Charges against Dr Wee and the need to protect members of the public while criminal proceedings against Dr Wee were ongoing.”
Therefore, SMC referred the information on the Charges to an Interim Orders Committee (IOC), for determining if it was necessary that his registration be suspended or be made subject to conditions or restrictions.
On 22 April 2017, the IOC, upon due inquiry into the information referred to it by the SMC and after considering the arguments by Counsel for Dr Wee and Counsel for the SMC, made an order that Dr Wee’s registration be conditional on his compliance, during a period of 18 months.
The conditions and restrictions made by IOC were:
- Dr Wee shall not undertake any consultations of female patients without a chaperone present and the chaperone must be a female fully registered medical practitioner in Singapore;
- In respect of female patients, Dr Wee shall not conduct any examination of the breast, pelvic, genital or anal areas. Such examinations shall be carried out by the aforesaid female chaperone except in situations which are life-threatening emergencies;
- The female chaperone shall maintain a log detailing every case where she is involved as a chaperone, which shall be signed and dated by the chaperone. The log has to certify that the consultation and/or any examination was performed in accordance with professional standards and submitted to the SMC every two weeks. If the professional standards are not complied with, it has to be recorded and the incident has to be reported promptly to the SMC;
Dr Wee was ordered to comply with these conditions and restrictions from 1 May this year. The IOC or another IOC appointed in its place will review the order after six months.
