Autistic Spectrum Disorder

27 Aug 2008

Question No:  578  

Question

Name of the Person: Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng

To ask the Minister for Health what measures are being taken to protect the interests of patients with special needs/disabilities from practitioners offering non-evidence-based medical or alternate treatments.

Reply

Reply From MOH

1. There are two main levels of protection against such unethical exploitation of patients.

2. First, the Medical Registration Act requires the doctors to practice ethically.  They will be subject to disciplinary action if they use treatments which are not in the interest of their patients.

3. Second, patients and their care-givers must exercise due diligence and consult the right practitioners. When in doubt, they should first check it out with their trusted family physician.  Alternatively they could seek a second opinion from the practitioners in the public clinics for patients with special needs, before accepting any unconventional or unusual treatment.

4 Helping patients with special needs is often a long journey.  It is understandable why some families become anxious, embarking on remedies that promise them hope of a rapid “cure”.  The Internet has further promoted the dissemination of theories and practices, many of which are questionable and without scientific basis.  For instance, the use of controversial Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatment for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is popular in the West, despite an absence of scientific support.  My Ministry will work with MCYS and its VWOs concerned to educate the families on how to evaluate such information and not be taken in by pseudoscience and unsubstantiated theories. Meanwhile, my Ministry is also collaborating with the Academy of Medicine to formulate Clinical Practice Guidelines to assist doctors in Singapore in diagnosing and managing children with autistic spectrum disorders.  The efforts will include compiling the evidence for the various treatments and to disseminate a layman’s version to patients and their caregivers.