Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Health, Janil Puthucheary, said in parliament on Tuesday that eight telemedicine providers have been or are being investigated for non-compliances through the Ministry of Health's (MOH) routine audits and enforcement measures.
According to Dr. Puthucheary, the majority of noncompliances can be divided into two groups: inappropriate advertisements, like those that encourage the needless use of telemedicine services, or clinical care errors, like when physicians prescribe medications and issue medical certificates without performing a proper clinical assessment or video consultations with new patients.
MaNaDr Clinic also Involved
According to Puthucheary, investigations into three of these incidents are complete, and enforcement measures have been implemented. Among them is MaNaDr Clinic, whose license was cancelled last month.
Puthucheary also said that the others include a severe warning and a brief suspension that are appropriate for the seriousness of the violations.
When CNA contacted MOH to inquire about the identities of the eight telemedicine providers, they were directed to Dr. Putchucheary's response before parliament, which stated that investigations are still being conducted.
In October, MOH said that it would send 41 physicians who performed teleconsultations for MaNaDr Clinic to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for alleged professional misconduct because they may have violated one or more of the council's ethical standards.
MOH Received 59 Complaints
According to Puthucheary, SMC's review is presently in progress. He claimed during his parliamentary speech that MOH received 59 complaints about telemedicine last year, including over 20 licensees.
When asked how authorities can stop telehealth abuse by Sharael Taha (PAP-Pasir Ris-Punggol), Puthucheary responded that the question of whether a clinical provider is being misused in order to obtain a medical certificate (MC) is not a telemedicine issue.
Puthucheary said, "This type of inappropriate use can occur in person as well and so, there are a variety of things we look at, the metrics in terms of the numbers, the type of patient mix and the justifications for the medical certificate or any other therapeutic intervention."
Public Feedback Channels
"Ultimately, has a correct assessment been provided? And is the treatment - whether it is medication, investigation or medical certificate appropriate to the medical condition that has been detected and appropriately documented?" he added.
He reaffirmed the "tremendous benefits" that telemedicine can offer patients, particularly those who are immobile or doing routine follow-ups, and said that it greatly improves patient accessibility and convenience.
"However, as in any new service delivery model, there will be potential for abuse and misuse, especially in the initial period of implementation," he said, adding "MOH will take the necessary enforcement actions so that over time, best practices become normalized."
He said that the public could use the public feedback channels on the ministry's website to voice any complaints they may have about the telemedicine service being provided to MOH in the interim.
