Payment of Commissions to Ambulance Services

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2121
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 18 SEPTEMBER 2023 

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo
MP for East Coast GRC

Question No. 4979 

To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider investigating the case of the delay of urgent treatment by a doctor who paid two ambulance services a commission for taking patients to him at his clinic resulting in the death of one of the patients; and (b) whether the practice of doctors and clinics giving such referral fees to ambulance services is a widespread practice and, if so, why is this allowed.

Answer

1     The case of delay urgent treatment by a doctor who paid two ambulance services a commission for taking patients to his clinic is already under investigation for professional misconduct by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) since August 2021, after complaints against the doctor were filed. 

2    There are currently no other cases involving the making of gratuitous payments to private ambulance operators that have been reported to MOH or the SMC.  SMC’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines disallows such practices, and also doctors to participate in fee splitting or sharing by offering gratuitous payments, gifts or other rewards in exchange for patient referrals.  Doctors must always act in the best interests of patients. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of the Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines and will be subjected to the SMC disciplinary process, including being removed from the professional register.