SINGAPORE: The Court of Three Judges on Wednesday (Feb 5) handed a 36-month suspension to a psychiatrist after earlier finding him guilty of professional misconduct.
In May last year, Dr Ang Yong Guan was found guilty of three charges of deviating from the relevant standards when prescribing various medications to a patient.
The case relates to a series of prescriptions for a patient named Quek Kiat Siong, who died four days after the last prescription was issued in 2012.
Dr Ang treated the patient for about two years for multiple conditions, including insomnia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
The final prescription, issued on Jul 31, 2012, consisted of a daily dose of 60mg of Mirtazapine, which exceeded the permitted maximum daily dosage of 45mg, as well as a daily dose of 25mg of Zolpidem Controlled Release - above the permitted maximum daily dosage of 12.5mg.
SENTENCING
The first two charges related to prescriptions issued between Feb 8, 2010, and Dec 31, 2011; and between Jan 1, 2012 and Jul 31, 2012.
Dr Ang had decided to switch between antidepressants without ensuring that each was continued for at least four to six weeks.
He had also allowed for long-term chronic use of benzodiazepines by prescribing a six-month supply to Mr Quek on Jul 31, 2012.
The court, comprising of Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Belinda Ang and Justice Tay Yong Kwang, said in the judgment on Wednesday that the level of harm associated with the two charges was "closely linked to the severity of the potential harm which the patient could have suffered because of Dr Ang’s prescriptions".
In 2017, Mr Quek's sister filed a complaint against Dr Ang with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC). But a disciplinary tribunal acquitted him of professional misconduct and instead found him guilty of failing to provide professional services of the quality which is reasonably expected of him.
This was overturned last May by the Court of Three Judges, which said Dr Ang knew he had exceeded the applicable dosage limits and could not justify his decisions to deviate from the standards.
"Even though the SMC's case against Dr Ang is predicated on the potential harm which the offending prescr...