MMC acts against 13 doctors for various offences

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Council has acted against 13 doctors — including striking the names of two of them off the medical register — for various offences last year.
The others were either suspended for six months or reprimanded for allowing unqualified and unregistered persons to treat their patients, MMC president Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said yesterday.
The doctor who had his name struck off claimed to be a medical graduate of University Kebangsaan Malaysia when his degree was from the University of North Sumatera, Indonesia, Dr Ismail said in a statement.
A woman doctor who had her name struck off the list had allowed an unqualified person to treat and prescribe medicine to a patient without her supervision. Dr Ismail said the council had not been able to contact her during most of the inquiry.
“Attempts were made to communicate with her through the post, advertisements in the local newspapers and personal delivery of documents. Despite these efforts, she did not turn up for the inquiry. She did not appeal and the punishment was meted out,” he said.
Dr Ismail, who is also the Health Ministry director-general, said three other doctors were reprimanded for neglecting their professional duties by failing to inform their patients that they were starting a medical examination and not explaining the details of the procedures performed on them.
Three more doctors were suspended for a period of between three and six months for offences including breaches under the Poisons Act, producing untrue or misleading reports, and for using a medical report as an exhibit in a court case without the patient’s consent.
The council received 87 complaints against doctors last year. The accumulated figure received by the council is 223 cases so far.
The council resolved 97 complaints last year. There are 17 complaints pending inquiry.
“Doctors should learn from the mistakes of their peers and avoid similar mistakes,” he said.
Based on 20,280 active doctors last year, the complaints received per 1,000 doctors were 4.3.
“Although the number is small, this is not acceptable. Being professionals, doctors are expected to abide to ethical practices at all times,” he said.