SINGAPORE: A doctor has been suspended from medical practice for forging two medical certificates (MCs) to cover her own absences while she was a house officer at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Dr Cherida Yong Chun Yin’s suspension will run for three years from Sep 3 this year to Sep 2, 2028, according to a notice posted on the Government Gazette on Tuesday (Sep 9).
While practising at SGH, Dr Yong absented herself from work without a legitimate medical excuse on Jul 1, 2022, and Sep 12, 2022.
To justify her absences, she submitted two fabricated MCs to SGH. The two MCs, purportedly issued by a clinic, were created by Dr Yong without the clinic’s authorisation.
The name and registration number of another doctor were included on the MCs to create the illusion that the clinic had issued them.
Dr Yong’s deception was discovered after administrative checks at SGH revealed discrepancies in the submitted certificates.
Her July MC was found to be false after the support team at the clinic it was supposedly issued from confirmed that Dr Yong had not consulted it on Jul 1, 2022.
The September MC was verified as fraudulent by SingHealth’s administrative processes.
The case was referred to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) after internal investigations by SGH.
Dr Yong, who claimed she had forged the MCs under personal stress, initially denied doing so but later admitted to the forgeries before her hearing. She asked for a suspension of 20 months.
The SMC, however, argued that Dr Yong should be struck off the medical practitioners register or receive the maximum period of suspension.
The disciplinary tribunal, which rejected characterisations of Dr Yong’s misconduct as impulsive or attributable to emotional stress, suspended her for 36 months. This is the maximum period of suspension.
While no patients were harmed, Dr Yong’s misconduct “strikes at a foundational ethical obligation of the profession”, wrote the tribunal in its grounds of decision.
The wilful forgery of the two MCs, each misusing a doctor’s name and registration number, constitutes “a repeated act of deception that compromises her professional reputation, erodes institutional trust and undermines the credibility of medical certification processes”, it added.
Dr Yong's suspension began 40 days after the order was issued. She was also ordered to pay the costs of the hearing, including those of the SMC solicitors.
Mr Navin Naidu, who served as Dr Yong’s counsel, argued that her misconduct was the first lapse by a young doctor with no prior adverse record.
Her actions were committed in a “moment of weakness and personal stress”, said Mr Naidu.
He also submitted that Dr Yong’s youth, relative inexperience and the emotional strain she was under during that period should be taken into account.
Dr Yong's age was not stated in the tribunal's grounds of decision.
A psychiatric report commissioned by the defence diagnosed Dr Yong with an “adjustment disorder with depressed mood”. This was attributed to the stress from Dr Yong’s transition into clinical work as well as perceived interpersonal and workplace pressures.
However, the disciplinary tribunal said the report - dated May 6, 2025 - was internally inconsistent and methodologically limited.
In its judgment, the tribunal referred to two psychiatric reports made in 2023. The first report - dated Feb 7, 2023 - found that Dr Yong did not suffer from any diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the material time.
The other - dated Mar 10, 2023 - stated there was no psychiatric condition impairing her executive function, moral judgment or impulse control.
The tribunal pointed out that Dr Yong’s misconduct involved misusing another doctor’s professional details as well as using digital tools and formatting to resemble legitimate documentation.
“These actions do not reflect emotional disorganisation or impaired reality testing, but rather purposeful conduct designed to evade internal disciplinary consequences,” it said.
In its concluding remarks, the tribunal said Dr Yong’s suspension was an opportunity for reflection.
“The tribunal is not unmindful of the respondent’s youth, her provisional registration status at the material time and the personal challenges she may have faced in the early stages of her professional career,” it wrote.
It added: “While the misconduct was grave and necessitates a strong disciplinary response, the tribunal recognises that this need not define her future profession.”
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Dr Cherida Yong Chun Yin’s suspension will run for three years from Sep 3 this year to Sep 2, 2028, according to a notice posted on the Government Gazette on Tuesday (Sep 9).
While practising at SGH, Dr Yong absented herself from work without a legitimate medical excuse on Jul 1, 2022, and Sep 12, 2022.
To justify her absences, she submitted two fabricated MCs to SGH. The two MCs, purportedly issued by a clinic, were created by Dr Yong without the clinic’s authorisation.
The name and registration number of another doctor were included on the MCs to create the illusion that the clinic had issued them.
Dr Yong’s deception was discovered after administrative checks at SGH revealed discrepancies in the submitted certificates.
Her July MC was found to be false after the support team at the clinic it was supposedly issued from confirmed that Dr Yong had not consulted it on Jul 1, 2022.
The September MC was verified as fraudulent by SingHealth’s administrative processes.
The case was referred to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) after internal investigations by SGH.
Dr Yong, who claimed she had forged the MCs under personal stress, initially denied doing so but later admitted to the forgeries before her hearing. She asked for a suspension of 20 months.
The SMC, however, argued that Dr Yong should be struck off the medical practitioners register or receive the maximum period of suspension.
The disciplinary tribunal, which rejected characterisations of Dr Yong’s misconduct as impulsive or attributable to emotional stress, suspended her for 36 months. This is the maximum period of suspension.
While no patients were harmed, Dr Yong’s misconduct “strikes at a foundational ethical obligation of the profession”, wrote the tribunal in its grounds of decision.
The wilful forgery of the two MCs, each misusing a doctor’s name and registration number, constitutes “a repeated act of deception that compromises her professional reputation, erodes institutional trust and undermines the credibility of medical certification processes”, it added.
Dr Yong's suspension began 40 days after the order was issued. She was also ordered to pay the costs of the hearing, including those of the SMC solicitors.
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"A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS”
Mr Navin Naidu, who served as Dr Yong’s counsel, argued that her misconduct was the first lapse by a young doctor with no prior adverse record.
Her actions were committed in a “moment of weakness and personal stress”, said Mr Naidu.
He also submitted that Dr Yong’s youth, relative inexperience and the emotional strain she was under during that period should be taken into account.
Dr Yong's age was not stated in the tribunal's grounds of decision.
A psychiatric report commissioned by the defence diagnosed Dr Yong with an “adjustment disorder with depressed mood”. This was attributed to the stress from Dr Yong’s transition into clinical work as well as perceived interpersonal and workplace pressures.
However, the disciplinary tribunal said the report - dated May 6, 2025 - was internally inconsistent and methodologically limited.
In its judgment, the tribunal referred to two psychiatric reports made in 2023. The first report - dated Feb 7, 2023 - found that Dr Yong did not suffer from any diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the material time.
The other - dated Mar 10, 2023 - stated there was no psychiatric condition impairing her executive function, moral judgment or impulse control.
The tribunal pointed out that Dr Yong’s misconduct involved misusing another doctor’s professional details as well as using digital tools and formatting to resemble legitimate documentation.
“These actions do not reflect emotional disorganisation or impaired reality testing, but rather purposeful conduct designed to evade internal disciplinary consequences,” it said.
In its concluding remarks, the tribunal said Dr Yong’s suspension was an opportunity for reflection.
“The tribunal is not unmindful of the respondent’s youth, her provisional registration status at the material time and the personal challenges she may have faced in the early stages of her professional career,” it wrote.
It added: “While the misconduct was grave and necessitates a strong disciplinary response, the tribunal recognises that this need not define her future profession.”
Continue reading...