TCM physician successful in appeal for lighter sentence
By Amir Hussain, TODAY | Posted: 06 October 2012 0603 hrs
SINGAPORE: A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician, who was censured by the TCM Practitioners Board for prescribing four Panamol (paracetamol) tablets to a patient, has been successful in his appeal to the High Court for a lighter sentence.
The board's sentence was harsher than precedent sentences and Tang Yeow Leong, 52, had not prescribed any other medicine for the patient, Justice Lai Siu Chiu said on Friday.
She cut Tang's three-month licence suspension to two months and reduced his S$5,000 fine to S$4,000.
Tang had prescribed the pills to a patient for acute backache after a TCM massage in May 2010. Under the TCM Practitioners Act, TCM physicians are only allowed to prescribe Chinese medicines.
Worried about the unlabelled tablets, the patient contacted the Health Sciences Authority, which lodged a complaint with the board after conducting an analysis one of the tablets.
An inspection of Tang's clinic on Sept 16, 2010 also turned up small bags containing tablets of Panamol.
Tang's lawyer, Mr Daniel Xu, said Tang had given the pills "kindheartedly" to a patient who was in "exceptional pain". He argued that the board's sentence was excessive. Mr Xu also asked for the fine to be reduced to S$2,000.
But board representative Rebecca Chew said attempts to breach or flout ethical standards should be viewed seriously. - TODAY
