PUBLISHED ONJanuary 26, 2025 6:02 AMByYeo Shu HuiThe Ministry of Health (MOH) has revoked the licence of a clinic in Bishan from Jan 24 for failing to control its medication prescriptions to patients on numerous occasions.
The clinic, located at 512 Bishan Street 12, will not be able to provide its service at its premises, respond to house calls or conduct teleconsultation services, the ministry said in a statement on Jan 25.
According to MOH, Prudence Family Clinic was found to have violated the conditions of its licence under the Healthcare Services Act 2020 (HCSA).
The breaches were in relation to the prescription and supply of codeine cough preparations, benzodiazepines and other hypnotics.
These included the clinic's failure to ensure that doctors avoid prescribing two or more benzodiazepines and other hypnotics to their patient at the same time.
They also failed to ensure their doctors referred patients to specialists for further treatment after they had been prescribed benzodiazepines and other hypnotics beyond the eight-week cumulative period.
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs that have hypnotic, muscle relaxant and anti-convulsant properties. They are used to treat insomnia, anxiety and other psychiatric and medical conditions and inappropriate use can lead to undesired results or tolerance and drug dependence, according to a Singapore Medical Council (SMC) newsletter published in 2022.
Prudence Family Clinic also did not properly document and maintain the health records of patients who were prescribed with these medications.
MOH stated that it had issued a notice to the clinic on Dec 20, 2024 on the licence revocation. The clinic was also given the opportunity to submit representations, but it did not do so ultimately.
The ministry stated: "The numerous contraventions of the conditions of its licence over the course of less than a year demonstrate a lack of effective internal oversight, controls and governance by Prudence Family Clinic Pte Ltd.
"In view of these, MOH has assessed that Prudence Family Clinic Pte Ltd is no longer able to provide outpatient medical services in a manner that is clinically safe and ethically appropriate."
Following the licence revocation, the clinic's related accreditation and participation in Healthier SG, MOH's financial schemes, including Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) and MediSave will cease.
In addition, MOH stated that the two practising doctors of Prudence Family Clinic who were involved in the errant prescribing practices have been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.
They will also be referred to the Singapore Medical Council over potential breaches of ethical guidelines and opioid prescription guidelines.
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