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[h=2]SMC on ‘viagra-peddler’ doc: We are looking into his case[/h]
October 2nd, 2012 |
Author: Editorial
Dr Jiade Jay Lu
A foreign doctor born in China, Dr Jiade Lu, was found to be selling a prescription drug Viagra online in the U.S. in 1999 (‘Foreign doctor with license revoked in U.S. now employed by NUH in Singapore‘) without seeing the patients. The U.S. Florida’s Board of Medicine found Dr Lu violated state laws and duly struck him off from the medical register in Florida, U.S.
Subsequently, he made his way to Singapore in 2001 and found a job with NUH. Apparently, NUH took him in without checking his background. Dr Lu has since been working in NUH for the past 11 years.
When the news of Dr Lu broke, both the National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS) and NUH stood by Dr Lu, who is the current head of the department of radiation oncology at NCIS.
Professor John Wong, who is the Director of NCIS, a unit under NUH, said, “He did something he shouldn’t have done. He has been taken to task and been transparent with us. He has done nothing in the past 11 years to make us doubt his competence, professionalism and integrity.”
Mr Joe Sim, CEO of NUH, also praised Dr Lu’s contribution. Mr Sim said, “His performance has also been rated ‘excellent’ in the past four years.”
According to Prof Wong, Dr Lu “was not aware of the charges”, as the summons to the hearing was sent to the wrong address in the US. Also, by then, he was already working in Singapore. Because of his non-appearance at the hearing, his licence to practise was revoked. Even now, Dr Lu’s medical licence in the State of Florida in the US remains “revoked”.
Prof Wong also added, “When we’re young, we tend to do things that are not smart.” And Mr Sim, also defended Dr Lu saying that it was a “dumb mistake”. Both agreed that Dr Lu has been punished and that, since then, he has become a “valued” doctor.
While in Singapore, Dr Lu even served as an independent Director of a public listed company, Healthway Medical Corporation Ltd, from 14 Jul 2009 until Mar 2012. Dr Lu obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996. He later obtained his MBA from the NUS and UCLA in 2005. He had earlier declared to SGX that he was not a subject of any disciplinary proceedings (‘Dr Lu was a Director of a public listed company and declares he was not a subject of any past disciplinary proceedings‘).
The TRE reader who blew the whistle on Dr Lu wrote to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), which is in charge of licensing of medical practitioners in Singapore, to inform them about Dr Lu’s disciplinary charges in the U.S.
The following was the reply from SMC on 4 Sep:
According to the application form [Link] available on SMC’s website for any medical practitioner who wants to register his or her practice in Singapore, he or she must declare the following:
A check on the Statutes of Singapore also revealed that it is indeed a criminal offence to provide any false information to SMC under section 62(a) of the Medical Registration Act (Cap 174):
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A foreign doctor born in China, Dr Jiade Lu, was found to be selling a prescription drug Viagra online in the U.S. in 1999 (‘Foreign doctor with license revoked in U.S. now employed by NUH in Singapore‘) without seeing the patients. The U.S. Florida’s Board of Medicine found Dr Lu violated state laws and duly struck him off from the medical register in Florida, U.S.
Subsequently, he made his way to Singapore in 2001 and found a job with NUH. Apparently, NUH took him in without checking his background. Dr Lu has since been working in NUH for the past 11 years.
When the news of Dr Lu broke, both the National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS) and NUH stood by Dr Lu, who is the current head of the department of radiation oncology at NCIS.
Professor John Wong, who is the Director of NCIS, a unit under NUH, said, “He did something he shouldn’t have done. He has been taken to task and been transparent with us. He has done nothing in the past 11 years to make us doubt his competence, professionalism and integrity.”
Mr Joe Sim, CEO of NUH, also praised Dr Lu’s contribution. Mr Sim said, “His performance has also been rated ‘excellent’ in the past four years.”
According to Prof Wong, Dr Lu “was not aware of the charges”, as the summons to the hearing was sent to the wrong address in the US. Also, by then, he was already working in Singapore. Because of his non-appearance at the hearing, his licence to practise was revoked. Even now, Dr Lu’s medical licence in the State of Florida in the US remains “revoked”.
Prof Wong also added, “When we’re young, we tend to do things that are not smart.” And Mr Sim, also defended Dr Lu saying that it was a “dumb mistake”. Both agreed that Dr Lu has been punished and that, since then, he has become a “valued” doctor.
While in Singapore, Dr Lu even served as an independent Director of a public listed company, Healthway Medical Corporation Ltd, from 14 Jul 2009 until Mar 2012. Dr Lu obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996. He later obtained his MBA from the NUS and UCLA in 2005. He had earlier declared to SGX that he was not a subject of any disciplinary proceedings (‘Dr Lu was a Director of a public listed company and declares he was not a subject of any past disciplinary proceedings‘).
The TRE reader who blew the whistle on Dr Lu wrote to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), which is in charge of licensing of medical practitioners in Singapore, to inform them about Dr Lu’s disciplinary charges in the U.S.
The following was the reply from SMC on 4 Sep:
We refer to your email and attachments. Thank you for writing to the Singapore Medical Council.
Prior to approving Dr Lu’s application for medical registration to practise in Singapore, the SMC had obtained verification from the regulatory authorities in the US that there were no disciplinary charges preferred against him.
However, we have since been made aware of the disciplinary issues related to Dr Lu, and are looking into it.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to raise this concern to us.
Regards,
Secretariat
Singapore Medical Council
Nearly a month has passed and there is still no news from the SMC on the matter.Prior to approving Dr Lu’s application for medical registration to practise in Singapore, the SMC had obtained verification from the regulatory authorities in the US that there were no disciplinary charges preferred against him.
However, we have since been made aware of the disciplinary issues related to Dr Lu, and are looking into it.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to raise this concern to us.
Regards,
Secretariat
Singapore Medical Council
According to the application form [Link] available on SMC’s website for any medical practitioner who wants to register his or her practice in Singapore, he or she must declare the following:
• Have you ever been convicted, or been the subject of an inquiry or an investigation by any professional body, licensing, health authority or the police in Singapore or elsewhere, the subject matter of which may form the basis of professional misconduct or any improper conduct which may bring disrepute to the medical profession?
• Have you, at any time before the submission of this application, ever been convicted in a court of law in Singapore or elsewhere of any offence?
>> I declare that the particulars stated in this application are complete and the documents attached are true and authentic, and the information contained herein remains unchanged to date. To the best of my knowledge and belief, I have not withheld any material fact.
>> I acknowledge that the Singapore Medical Council reserves all rights to withhold and/or to terminate my registration and/or take any action it deems fit, if any of the above information or documents tendered is found subsequently to be false. I am also aware that it is a criminal offence to make any false statements, to provide any false information and/or document(s) to the Singapore Medical Council. I also understand and give my consent for the Singapore Medical Council to make any enquiries or obtain any information & documents that it deems appropriate to establish my fitness to practise.
Given SMC’s statement that “we have since been made aware of the disciplinary issues related to Dr Lu, and are looking into it”, one can only surmise that SMC was not aware of Dr Lu’s earlier disciplinary charges in the U.S. and that Dr Lu probably did not declare this when he first applied for his medical licence to practise in Singapore.• Have you, at any time before the submission of this application, ever been convicted in a court of law in Singapore or elsewhere of any offence?
>> I declare that the particulars stated in this application are complete and the documents attached are true and authentic, and the information contained herein remains unchanged to date. To the best of my knowledge and belief, I have not withheld any material fact.
>> I acknowledge that the Singapore Medical Council reserves all rights to withhold and/or to terminate my registration and/or take any action it deems fit, if any of the above information or documents tendered is found subsequently to be false. I am also aware that it is a criminal offence to make any false statements, to provide any false information and/or document(s) to the Singapore Medical Council. I also understand and give my consent for the Singapore Medical Council to make any enquiries or obtain any information & documents that it deems appropriate to establish my fitness to practise.
A check on the Statutes of Singapore also revealed that it is indeed a criminal offence to provide any false information to SMC under section 62(a) of the Medical Registration Act (Cap 174):
Medical Registration Act
(CHAPTER 174)
Fraudulent registration
62. Any person who —
(a) procures or attempts to procure registration or a certificate of registration as a medical practitioner or a practising certificate under this Act by knowingly making or producing or causing to be made or produced any false or fraudulent declaration, certificate, application or representation, whether in writing or otherwise;
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.
.(CHAPTER 174)
Fraudulent registration
62. Any person who —
(a) procures or attempts to procure registration or a certificate of registration as a medical practitioner or a practising certificate under this Act by knowingly making or producing or causing to be made or produced any false or fraudulent declaration, certificate, application or representation, whether in writing or otherwise;
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.
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