SINGAPORE – A foreign doctor who took on illegal side jobs as a locum for about 2？ years was fined $50,000 by the Singapore Medical Council’s (SMC’s) disciplinary tribunal.
A locum doctor takes over the duties of a regular doctor when the latter is not available.
Dr Queck Kian Kheng had provided locum services to 25 different clinics on 511 occasions from November 2016 to May 2019, earning almost $331,500 from the illicit freelance gigs.
According to the disciplinary tribunal’s grounds of decision released on the SMC website on Dec 28, Dr Queck held an employment pass as an associate consultant with Singapore Health Services at the time of the offences.
He did not have a valid work pass to be a self-employed foreigner.
In June 2021, he had been separately convicted of three charges for being a self-employed foreigner engaged as a doctor without a valid work pass. He was fined $70,000 then.
Following that, the SMC brought a charge against him under the Medical Registration Act for an improper act or conduct which brings disrepute to the medical profession.
Get a round-up of the top stories to start your day
Thank you!
Sign up
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and T&Cs.
Represented by Dr Alex Cheng and Mr Eric Tin from Donaldson & Burkinshaw, Dr Queck pleaded guilty to the latest charge.
The SMC asked for a fine of $50,000, while Dr Queck’s lawyers left the quantum to the tribunal.
An online search for registered healthcare professionals in Singapore showed that he has been a fully registered medical practitioner since July 6, 2014, and currently specialises in neurology at the KK Queck Neurology Centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital.
He also obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the National University of Malaysia in 2009.
The SMC felt a fine was appropriate because the case did not involve fraud or dishonesty, and Dr Queck had shown remorse by his early plea of guilt.
In mitigation, his lawyers said he had cooperated with investigations and voluntarily disclosed his locum engagements.
Dr Queck’s offences were committed due to his honest omission and inadvertence to check whether he could engage in locum practice, said the lawyers.
They added that while he did not have actual knowledge of the restriction, he did not conceal that he was an employment pass holder and that the clinics that engaged him asked only if he was fully registered.
47 people investigated for illegally working as cooks, wait staff in Clarke Quay, Little India
27 syndicate members arrested for suspected employment offences
Dr Queck was also not primarily profit-motivated, but had wanted to improve his clinical skills and broaden his medical knowledge during his free time, they added.
In response, the disciplinary tribunal was of the view that the fact that the breaches took place over such a prolonged period pushes Dr Queck’s conduct beyond mere inadvertence and more towards indifference.
“It cannot be a mitigating factor for a foreign professional who holds an employment pass to claim that he was unaware of the limited scope under which he could work in Singapore,” said the tribunal.
The tribunal also found that the assertion that Dr Queck’s motivation to work as a locum was to improve his clinical skills was self-serving and overstated, and questioned why he had not volunteered his medical services instead.
While the tribunal recognised that he had favourable character references from his peers, supervisors and patients, and his professional achievements as he had won awards during his residency training and for science and research, those factors must be weighed against the need for deterrence, especially as he had received substantial financial benefits.
The tribunal found the SMC’s proposed fine of $50,000 to be reasonable, and ordered the fine. It took into consideration that he had already been fined $70,000 by the State Courts, among other factors.
The tribunal also ordered that Dr Queck be censured, submit a written undertaking to SMC that he would not engage in such conduct again and to pay the costs and expenses of the proceedings, including the costs of SMC’s counsel.
3 foreigners fined for working illegally as food delivery riders
MOM probes social enterprise Red Crowns for potentially flouting the law in hiring foreign maids
Unlock unlimited access to ST exclusive content, insights and analyses
ST One Digital - Annual
$9.90 $4.95 /month
Get offer
$59.40 for the first year and $118.80 per year thereafter.
ST One Digital - Monthly
29.90 $9.90 /month
Subscribe today
No lock-in contract
Unlock more knowledge, unlock more benefits
New feature: Stay up to date on important topics and follow your favourite writers with myST All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on one mobile device
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Facebook WhatsApp X More Whatsapp Linkedin FB Messenger Telegram Twitter Reddit WeChat Pinterest Print Purchase Article Copy permalink https://str.sg/igU3
Read this subscriber-only article for free!
Just sign up for a free account and log in to continue reading.
Foreign doctor who worked illegally as a locum on over 500 occasions fined $50,000
Sign up
Already have an account? Log in.
All done! This article is now fully available for you
Foreign doctor who worked illegally as a locum on over 500 occasions fined $50,000
Read now
Please verify your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full
Foreign doctor who worked illegally as a locum on over 500 occasions fined $50,000
Resend verification e-mail
The gift link for this subscriber-only article has expired.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
You have reached your limit of subscriber-only articles this month.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
Read and win!
Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions
Good job, you've read 3 articles today!
Spin the wheel now
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions