SINGAPORE – An orthopaedic surgeon has been suspended eight months for not giving a patient sufficient medical leave following an accident.

Dr Kevin Yip Man Hing, who practises at Singapore Sports and Orthopaedic Clinic at Gleneagles Medical Centre, was suspended last year for a similar infraction – also for eight months.

In the latest case, he faced five charges. The Singapore Medical Council’s disciplinary tribunal proceeded with two, to which Dr Yip pleaded guilty, and the other three were taken into consideration.

The charges against Dr Yip arose from a complaint made by the patient, a Singaporean who works as a driver.

The first charge stemmed from the man seeking treatment after fracturing his right middle finger.

Dr Yip, who treated him on April 10, 2012, put a splint on the finger, gave him both intravenous and oral antibiotics, pain relief and anti-inflammatory medicine, and two days of medical leave, followed by two days of light duty.

Dr Yip saw him again on April 13 and certified him fit for light duty for two weeks from April 14.

The tribunal said such fractures needed to be immobilised for two weeks. Given the patient’s occupation, he should have been given two weeks of medical leave and not be put on light duty on the third day after the finger was fractured.

In July that year, the man injured his left shoulder when he tried to grab hold of the back of a lorry while at work. This was the basis for the second charge.

He saw Dr Yip on July 11, three days after hurting himself, and an X-ray did not show any problems. Dr Yip gave him painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine and put him on light duties for a week.

Dr Yip reviewed the case on July 14 and referred him to a physiotherapist, who recommended further investigation into the injury.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan done on Aug 6 showed dislocation of the biceps tendon, a partial tear in another tendon and injury to a third tendon.

Keyhole surgery was done and the patient was discharged the following day. He was not given any hospitalisation or medical leave but was certified fit for light duties for 15 days.

The tribunal said: “Given that the patient worked as a driver and had just undergone a procedure that required general anaesthesia, and needed extensive rehabilitation to mobilise his shoulder to regain motion after the procedure, he should have been given medical leave of at least four weeks duration upon his discharge.”

For both accidents, the patient did not go to work during the days of light duties – an arrangement Dr Yip made with the man’s employer.

The tribunal found it remarkable that Dr Yip would arrange with the company to pay the man’s salary even if he did not do light duties, “a situation that ironically would seem neither in the patient’s nor his employer’s interest”.

The tribunal also said Dr Yip had put the patient at risk as the “employer retained a right to ask him to perform those light duties” and, had the patient refused, could have been denied salary for those days.

Employers have to report work-related accidents to the Ministry of Manpower if the injured employee is given four days of medical leave due to a single accident.

Hearing for this case was postponed at Dr Yip’s request – pending his and the SMC’s appeal against a five-month suspension given by another tribunal.

In April last year, the Court of Three Judges dismissed Dr Yip’s appeal and increased the period of suspension to eight months – reduced from one year because of the long delay by the medical watchdog in settling the case.

That case involved a bricklayer who fell from a scaffolding platform and suffered a fractured collarbone, several rib fractures, and head and wrist injuries. Dr Yip gave him sick leave for the two days he was in hospital and certified him fit for light duties after that.

Source: Read Full Article