The moral compass of the elites

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8 telehealth providers investigated by MOH for lapses​

Enforcement action has been taken against three of the providers, including MaNaDr Clinic.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Lee Li Ying
Jan 08, 2025

SINGAPORE – Eight telemedicine providers have been or are currently being investigated for lapses in clinical care or inappropriate advertisements of services, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary in Parliament on Jan 7.

Enforcement action has been taken against three of the providers, including MaNaDr Clinic, Dr Janil added.

MaNaDr Clinic was found to have more than 100,000 teleconsultations that lasted one minute or less in a sampled month, among other lapses. The Ministry of Health (MOH) revoked the clinic’s licence on Dec 20, 2024, barring it from providing outpatient medical services.


Responding to parliamentary questions on whether there are similar trends of unethical telehealth providers following the MaNaDr case, Dr Janil said that the eight telemedicine providers have been or are being investigated for non-compliances in two categories.

The first is in clinical care, such as doctors issuing prescriptions and medical certificates without proper clinical assessment or not conducting video consultations for first-time patients.

The second is for inappropriate advertisements, such as those promoting the unnecessary use of telemedicine services.

The actions taken include a short suspension and a stern warning, commensurate with the severity of the breaches, said Dr Janil.

In addition, medical practitioners have been referred to the Singapore Medical Council for potential lapses in professional standards. The council’s review is under way.

He did not name the other operators as investigations are still ongoing.


In 2024, MOH received 59 complaints regarding telemedicine involving 20 operators.

There were a number of licensees involved and there were “some very short teleconsultations”, said Dr Janil, adding that the ministry is trying to establish what the exact numbers are.

He pointed out that a short teleconsultation is not automatically incorrect if it is with a regular patient, or a follow-up, or if necessary information has been obtained.

“We have to look at the entire clinical care that has been provided and make sure it’s appropriate. It’s not the fact of telemedicine that is necessarily wrong, it’s whether correct clinical care has been provided through this modality, and that sometimes requires inpatient consultation,” said Dr Janil.

“Sometimes, it requires the appropriate breadth and time for the interactions so that correct information is provided. And in some cases, it is an issue of whether or not the correct documentation of the process has been carried out. So all of these things are part of the investigation process.”


Responding to a question on how telemedicine may be abused to get easy access to medical certificates, Dr Janil pointed out that such inappropriate behaviour can happen in an in-person setting as well.

When it comes to telemedicine abuse, there are a variety of things that the ministry looks at, which include metrics in terms of the numbers, the patient mix and the justifications for the medical certificate or any other therapeutic intervention.

“Ultimately, has a correct assessment been provided? And is the treatment – whether it is medication, investigation or medical certificate – appropriate to the medical condition that has been detected and appropriately documented?”

Dr Janil said it is important to recognise that telemedicine can bring tremendous benefits to patients, especially those who are immobile or doing regular follow-ups. It makes healthcare much more accessible and convenient to patients.

“However, as in any new service delivery model, there will be abuse and misuse, especially in the initial period of implementation. MOH will take the necessary enforcement action, (so) that over time, best practices become normalised.”

The public can raise concerns on the provision of telemedicine via e-mail at [email protected]

 

[True Believer]

We are in a vicious cycle of doctors chasing higher operating costs in private practice and passing on such expenditure to their patients. An increasing number of doctors in private practice seem unperturbed with the appropriateness of their relationship with drug manufacturers. It would be naïve to believe that any business would discourage its sales reps from doing all it takes to establish strong relations with customers, who are likely to give the highest return on their investment, in entertainment and other payments in kind.

 

[True Believer]

On the issue of prescriptions, doctors in the public sector generally feel no direct impact from the sale of drugs. Specialists in premier private hospitals, on the other hand, treat affluent local patients or medical tourists, who have more options when it comes to their treatment plan, as well as the purchasing power to obtain patent drugs. Even though not all doctors are easily swayed by incentives from pharmaceutical companies into handing out more prescriptions than are necessary, the crux of the matter is that this mutually beneficial relationship between drug manufacturers and doctors is undoubtedly a conflict of interest in medical practice.

 

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Telehealth provider MaNaDr admits to lapses that led to revoking of clinic licence​

MOH had revoked the licence of MaNaDr Clinic at City Gate in Beach Road more than three months ago.

Apr 02, 2025

SINGAPORE – MaNaDr has admitted that there were lapses in its services and introduced new safeguards following concerns over the improper use of its telehealth platform.

This comes more than three months after the Ministry of Health (MOH) revoked the licence of MaNaDr Clinic at City Gate in Beach Road, which halted all of its operations, including outpatient services at the clinic and temporary premises such as patients’ residences, as well as teleconsultations.

MaNaDr chief executive and founder Siaw Tung Yeng said during a media briefing on April 2 that the firm “could have done a better job” of preventing abuse of its telemedicine services, but did not explain how the lapses occurred.

“We are more committed than ever to creating a safe, ethical and effective platform to rebuild patients’ trust in telemedicine,” he said. Dr Siaw also did not specify if the firm is seeking recertification from MOH, only telling The Straits Times that opening a new clinic will be a “business decision”.

“Ultimately, that is not our main business, our business is in innovation and technology… The clinic at City Gate was just a place where we could pioneer our innovation.”

Investigations by MOH found that a very large number of cases seen by MaNaDr Clinic doctors involved very short teleconsultations with video calls that lasted one minute or less, but nevertheless concluded with the prescription of medication and issuance of medical certificates (MCs).

Following such short teleconsultations, MOH found that some patients were issued multiple MCs over a few different teleconsultations within a short period of time, for example, within 30 days.

In some instances, patient case notes contained detailed information that was not commensurate with the short duration of the teleconsultation. Conversely, in other instances, patient case notes were extremely sparse or brief, which potentially compromised the continuity of patient care.

Dr Siaw said the firm has since introduced several safeguards to its telehealth services, including artificial intelligence tools that transcribe doctor-patient conversations, a timer to prevent overly short consultations, and increased training and audits of doctors and clinics using the platform.


Checks by ST found that teleconsultations are still being conducted on the MaNaDr app through other clinics and service providers with their own remote licence.

Dr Siaw said “around 50 to 100” clinics continue to use the MaNaDr app, but declined to provide a specific figure. ST understands this represents a drop of more than half in the number of clinics using the platform.

MaNaDr sits under the holding company Mobile-health Network Solutions, which went public on the US’ tech-heavy stock exchange Nasdaq in April 2024.

Dr Rachel Teoh, co-founder of Mobile-health Network Solutions, said that funds raised from the initial public offering will continue to help MaNaDr’s expansion into regional markets such as Indonesia, Thailand and Australia.

She said that these markets will follow the firm’s business model in Singapore, which includes three key areas: telemedicine services, a wellness marketplace on the MaNaDr app offering access to mental health support and medical products, and an operating system for healthcare providers that features a clinic management platform.

Shares of Mobile-health Network Solutions have fallen more than 96 per cent in the past year to hit US$1.89 on April 1.

 

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Forum: Ultra-short teleconsultations can’t ensure quality of medical care​

Apr 08, 2025

The recent revocation of MaNaDr Clinic’s licence by the Ministry of Health underscores the importance of maintaining rigorous standards in telemedicine practices (

Telehealth provider MaNaDr admits to lapses that led to revoking of clinic licence, April 2).

Investigations revealed that a very large number of teleconsultations by MaNaDr Clinic doctors involved very short sessions on video call that lasted one minute or less. Such practices raise significant concerns about the adequacy of patient evaluations and the justification for subsequent prescriptions and medical certificates.

While not every consultation requires a lengthy discussion, a one-minute consultation – whether in person or virtually – is not acceptable and falls short of professional expectations.


Even when patients present with seemingly straightforward issues, a good family medicine consultation should always consider the broader context of the patient’s health.

This includes chronic disease management, lifestyle advice, opportunistic screening, and efforts to shape positive health-seeking behaviour. A consultation concluded in mere seconds or a minute is a missed opportunity to provide holistic, patient-centred care, which is fundamental to the practice of family medicine.

Moreover, a teleconsultation must not be treated as a shortcut. It demands the same standards of care as an in-person visit. This includes taking a proper history, reviewing symptoms thoroughly, arriving at a reasonable diagnosis, and ensuring the patient understands the management plan. Omitting these essential steps puts patients at risk of misdiagnosis, unsafe prescriptions, and delayed treatment of serious conditions.

The Singapore Medical Council’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines are clear: Doctors are duty-bound to deliver competent, compassionate and appropriate care.

Ultra-short consultations also breach core ethical principles such as beneficence (the duty to promote the patient’s well-being) and respect for patient autonomy (by providing enough information for patients to make an informed decision).

As we embrace technology in medicine, doctors must hold fast to their professional and ethical responsibilities. Telemedicine can greatly improve access to care, but it must be delivered with the same diligence, care and thoroughness as face-to-face consultations.


Wong Tien Hua (Dr)
President
College of Family Physicians Singapore

 

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MaNaDr must ensure regulatory compliance regardless of its corporate structure: MOH​

MaNaDr Clinic’s licence was revoked on Dec 20 last year after MOH’s investigations discovered lapses in its operations.

Apr 09, 2025

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Health (MOH) has responded to claims made by MaNaDr chief executive Siaw Tung Yeng about the firm’s corporate structure.

Dr Siaw had told the media on April 2 that MaNaDr Clinic operates independently as a subsidiary of its holding company Mobile-health Network Solutions and manages its own clinic operations.


MaNaDr Clinic’s licence was revoked on Dec 20, 2024, after MOH’s investigations discovered lapses in its operations, including numerous cases of very short teleconsultations lasting one minute or less, which still resulted in prescriptions and medical certificates.

MOH said that under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) 2020, all licensees and their key office holders are ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, regardless of the licensee’s corporate structure.

“Licensees are also fully accountable for the safety and quality of the healthcare services provided by the clinic, including telemedicine services, and must ensure that the services comply with the applicable ethical and professional standards,” it said in the statement released on April 9.

During the media briefing on April 2, Dr Siaw said that MaNaDr’s clinic operations and its telemedicine platform MaNaDr are separate businesses that run independently of each other under the company Mobile-health Network Solutions. He was responding to queries about why the lapses were not detected earlier.

MOH noted that as the principal officer and clinical governance officer of MaNaDr Clinic, Dr Siaw would have been responsible for the day-to-day management of the clinic and provision of clinical governance and technical oversight over the clinic’s services.

“Any doctor who practises under the auspices of a licence under HCSA, whether as a locum practitioner or an employee, does not operate independently, but must be under the supervision and oversight of the licensee and their key officeholders,” the MOH statement added.

Dr Siaw also said on April 2 that MaNaDr has introduced several safeguards to its telehealth services, including a one-minute minimum for consultations before issuing medical certificates, artificial intelligence (AI) tools to transcribe doctor-patient conversations, and enhanced training and audits for doctors and clinics using the platform.


On the length of teleconsultations, MOH said it is not necessarily the case that so long as a teleconsultation exceeds a minute, it would pass muster.

“The duration of the teleconsultation should be commensurate with the patient profile and presenting medical conditions, as reflected in the Singapore Medical Council’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines,” it noted in the statement.

“Licensees providing teleconsultations are required to put in place quality assurance measures such as implementing and regularly reviewing protocols and processes to ensure that doctors are conducting proper clinical assessments and prescribing and issuing medical certificates on proper medical grounds.”

The ministry also pointed out that while the use of AI in clinical settings can enhance efficiency and has the potential to improve patient outcomes, it also brings about “inherent risks and ethical concerns”.

It reminded licensees that, even with the use of MaNaDr’s AI tools, they remain responsible for complying with HCSA requirements, including ensuring patient safety and welfare for all services provided. For example, where AI-powered tools are used for transcribing interactions between doctors and patients or consolidating prescribed treatment plans, licensees must ensure the accuracy, confidentiality and security of the patient health records.

“Licensees must also check if the AI tools need to be registered with the Health Sciences Authority as a medical device, and ensure that fair and non-biased data was used to train the AI tool,” it said.


Checks by The Straits Times on April 2 found that teleconsultations were still being conducted on the MaNaDr app through other clinics and service providers with their own remote licence.

The MaNaDr telehealth platform provides healthcare services via its network of 700 clinics and more than 1,500 medical professionals in Singapore.

It was the largest telehealth solutions mobile application in Singapore, based on the number of user consultations per day in the six months ending May 2023.

 

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Ex-diplomat who filmed nude boy in Tokyo bath stripped of Govt medals​

Christopher Sim Siong Chye was a counsellor at the Singapore Embassy in Japan when he committed the offences.

Apr 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – A former diplomat, who was convicted in 2024 after secretly filming a boy at a public bath in Tokyo, has been stripped of two medals awarded by the Singapore government.

Christopher Sim Siong Chye, who was

sacked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on April 2

, was stripped of his Covid-19 Resilience medal on April 14 and Long Service medal on April 22.


Both forfeitures were announced in the Government Gazette.


Sim, 56, was a counsellor – a diplomatic rank for experienced foreign service officers – at the Singapore Embassy in Japan when he committed the offences there.

On Feb 27, 2024, he was caught using a smartphone to film an undressed male teenager in the men’s changing room of a public bath.

A search of his phone found footage of the boy in the nude, as well as footage of multiple male customers that seemed to have been taken in the bath’s communal changing room.

Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported that the boy was a junior high school student aged 13.

Sim admitted to investigators then that he also took such photos at other public baths.

When he was caught, at least 700 images taken over a six-month period were found on his phone.


He deleted the images on the spot.

The Japanese police were unable to detain him then as he had immunity from prosecution as a diplomat.

In mid-April 2024, he returned to Singapore after completing his tour of duty.

On May 2 that year, MFA said it was prepared to waive his diplomatic immunity to facilitate investigations by the Japanese authorities.

Sim was suspended from duty to assist in investigations.


Days later, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department made a request to the Singapore Embassy through Japan’s Foreign Ministry to get Sim to return to the country.

He returned to Japan on June 9, 2024, and was questioned by the Japanese authorities, reported the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

He was quoted as saying that he had done so out of remorse and of his own will.

He was later fined 300,000 yen (S$2,744) for trespassing the bathhouse and violating the Tokyo government’s ordinance for public disturbances.

A career diplomat, Sim is also a published author. He wrote a book about his travels across several countries between 1995 and 2004.

He joined MFA in 1993, according to a 2011 publication by the Public Service Division.

 

[True Believer]

Former diplomat, Christopher Sim Siong Chye who was convicted for secretly filming a boy at a public bath in Tokyo, has been stripped of 2 medals awarded by the S'pore govt. Sim likes to record videos of boys stripping so the authorities decided that he needs to be stripped as well.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The court trial was not covered by the media because the convicted is a grandson-in-law of the late UOB owner Wee Cho Yaw.

Park Hotel Management director breached fiduciary duty by selling assets to himself under value​

Mr Allen Law and three other companies were sued by Park Hotel Management and its liquidators.

Summary

• Allen Law breached fiduciary duties as PHMPL director, transferring viable assets to himself at "gross undervalue"
• Law diverted over $32 million in cash and receivables for his benefit, manipulating PHMPL's books, leaving creditors with nothing.
• The High Court ruled Law must repay appropriated funds; defendants are reviewing the judgment, citing Covid's impact on hospitality.

AI generated

Aug 06, 2025

SINGAPORE – Mr Allen Law, the scion of Hong Kong-based billionaire Law Kar Po, was found to have breached his fiduciary duties and prejudiced the interests of creditors, while navigating his company Park Hotel Management (PHMPL) through financial challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a 165-page High Court judgment released on Aug 6, Mr Law, the sole director and shareholder of PHMPL, sold assets to himself at “gross undervalue” and diverted more than $32 million in cash and receivables for his benefit.

“When (Mr Law’s) company was in financial peril, he transferred its viable assets and businesses (effectively) to himself at a gross undervalue and manipulated the books of the company to eliminate receivables owed by him and his entities, leaving the creditors with nothing,” High Court Judge Hri Kumar Nair noted.


“Far from demonstrating selflessness, Mr Law showed contempt for his fiduciary obligations... While PHMPL may have failed because of events beyond his control, his response was entirely regrettable.

“He appropriated PHMPL’s assets for himself and manipulated PHMPL’s books to hide his subterfuge. His conduct, both in relation to the ‘restructuring’ and his defence of these proceedings, was dishonest and dishonourable. His first and only thought was to benefit himself,” the judge said.

Mr Law and three other companies were sued by PHMPL and its liquidators over matters relating to assets sold to entities related to him before the company was placed in liquidation in July 2021 in the wake of the pandemic, which had devastated the hospitality industry globally.

The three defendant companies are Park Hotel Group Management (PHG), British Virgin Islands-incorporated Good Movement Holdings and Singapore Institute of Hospitality (SIOH).

PHG and SIOH are owned by Good Movement, which in turn is owned by Mr Law, who is married to Ms Tan Shin Hui, granddaughter of former UOB chairman, the late Mr Wee Cho Yaw. She is the executive director of PHG.

PHMPL was also the sole shareholder of hotel management company Park Hotel Management (Maldives), restaurant operator Yan and Park Hotel Affiliates (PHA).


Due to plummeting occupancy rates and pandemic-related restrictions, Park Hotel CQ, operator of the former Park Hotel Clarke Quay property in Unity Street; and Grand Park OR, operator of the former Grand Park Orchard hotel, were unable to meet their lease obligations.

Despite efforts to negotiate with landlords and seek relief under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, PHMPL’s financial position became increasingly precarious.

A sale of PHMPL’s assets was done in March 2021. But the liquidators said that PHMPL did not receive any consideration for the substantial assets it disposed of.

This included a sum of $2.7 million for assets sold to PHG under an asset share and transfer agreement (ASTA) in March 2021. The assets included 12 hotel management agreements, licence agreements, business names, and PHMPL trademarks.

The shareholdings in Park Hotel Maldives were purchased by PHG and Good Movement for US$40,000 (S$51,490), while the shareholding in Yan was purchased by Good Movement for $500,000, and the assets of the Singapore Institute of Hospitality were sold by PHMPL for $200,000.

“The effect of the agreements was that PHMPL’s assets... were transferred to the defendant companies for a total sum of $3.4 million and US$40,000,” according to the judgment.


“But Mr Law... arranged it such that PHMPL did not even receive these sums,” Justice Nair said.

Furthermore, the judge found that the market value of these assets amounted to $26.4 million and US$2.42 million.

“The transfer of assets and businesses from PHMPL to the defendant companies was only one part of Mr Law’s plan. In the period when Park Hotel CQ and Grand Park OR were failing to meet their obligations under their respective leases, Mr Law extracted substantial amounts of cash from all three companies,” according to the ruling.

In addition, Mr Law also breached the no-profit rule of the Companies Act when he diverted an opportunity to manage Park Hotel Kyoto to PHG, to the detriment of PHMPL.

The second part of the plan, the judge found, “was to cause PHMPL to declare and backdate substantial dividends in Mr Law’s favour and to effect a series of transfers and set-offs in PHMPL’s books, most of which were also backdated, to eliminate his and his entities’ liabilities to PHMPL.”

Mr Law received cash payments from PHMPL and also diverted receivables of $22.3 million due from his related companies to PHMPL. These amounts were set off against dividend declarations of $22 million and $5.9 million, and an accounting entry of $6.75 million in his favour.

But the judge found that the dividend declarations were invalid as PHMPL was insolvent at the time they were made. As a result, Mr Law must repay $10.1 million in cash payments and $22.3 million in receivables.

“Given my findings that PHMPL was at the very least financially parlous by 31 December 2020 and Mr Law knew this, the cash payments were not in the interests of PHMPL and amount to breaches of Mr Law’s fiduciary duties to PHMPL,” Justice Nair said.

A representative from the defendants said: “This remains a legacy matter arising from the exceptional circumstances of Covid lockdowns in 2020 and their unprecedented impact on the hospitality sector. The judgment is being reviewed and appropriate next steps are being considered.”

Allen & Gledhill partners William Ong and Lee Bik Wei are acting for the plaintiffs, while Mr Law and the three defendant companies are represented by TSMP Law’s senior counsel Thio Shen Yi.

 

[True Believer]

The elites in SG have poor role models.