SMC's Punishment Upheld for Doctor Who Prescribed Unapproved Hormones

Prescriptions included a hormone preparation made from desiccated pig thyroid glands

- Judith Tan

A doctor who prescribed various unapproved hormones, including one made from desiccated pig thyroid glands, has failed in his appeal to the highest court to quash his convictions and sentences by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).

Instead, the conviction against Dr Ian Lee Pheng Lip, a general practitioner from Integrated Medicine Clinic, stands.

His 18-month suspension begins in two weeks, and he had to pay $50,000—the cost of the appeal—to the SMC.

The decision of the Court of Three Judges—comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice of the Court of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang, and Senior Judge Judith Prakash—to dismiss his appeal in respect of 17 charges of professional misconduct under the Medical Registration Act was delivered on July 8.

The three judges felt that the disciplinary tribunal was correct to impose the sentences on Dr Lee, and that the aggregate sentence imposed "was not manifestly excessive".

A complaints committee (CC) began probing Dr Lee on May 8, 2014, following a complaint by the SMC that he was offering non-mainstream services.

This was after the Ministry of Health (MOH) notified the SMC of its concerns regarding Dr Lee's provision of various unapproved hormones to his patients.

These were the following: