A local plastic surgeon got slapped with a hefty fine as well as a censure by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).
All because he failed to treat his then 17-year-old patient with “courtesy, consideration, compassion and respect and to protect her right to privacy and dignity”, according to SMC’s press release.
A complaint was lodged against cosmetic surgeon Dr. Martin Huang back in 2010, following his questionable actions prior to a scar revision procedure on the patient’s inner thigh.
Just before the commencement of the procedure, Dr. Huang asked that she remove all her clothes in the operating room. Feeling uncomfortable, she requested to put on a brassiere at least, which the doctor agreed to.
Later on, she was required to remove her disposable underwear as well, and a nurse helped her take it off. A number of pre-procedure photos were taken of her standing against a wall, with her genitalia exposed.
Naturally, this was a traumatic experience for the teenage girl, and she expressed her distress to her mother as soon as the operation was done.
Civil proceedings were carried out by the mother, but were ultimately settled on the first day of the trial.
“It seems to the disciplinary tribunal (DT) that a clear message should be sent to the medical profession that treating a patient with courtesy, consideration, compassion and respect and offering the right of privacy and dignity is required of all medical practitioners,” they wrote on their press release.
“In the opinion of the DT, an adequate sanction is intended to deter similar misconduct and to uphold the trust and respect the society has for the medical profession”.
Dr. Huang has since censured, and will have to pay a fine of $10,000 as well as give a written undertaking to the SMC that he would abstain from any poor conduct. He would also have to pay 70 percent of the costs and expenses of the proceedings.
