Doctor, 74, who molested patient no longer has licence to practise

SINGAPORE — A 74-year-old doctor convicted in 2014 of molesting a patient on two occasions was struck off the register of medical practitioners on Tuesday (June 12).

A three-member disciplinary tribunal chaired by cardiothoracic surgeon Joseph Sheares ruled that Dr Winston Lee Siew Boon’s actions implied a defect of character that rendered him fundamentally unsuited to continue in the profession.

In 2016, Dr Lee was also fined S$3,000 by the State Courts for lying to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) in July 2013. To renew his practising licence, he falsely declared that he was not being investigated by the police when he was really arrested three months earlier and had been the subject of a police investigation since November 2011.

After serving his jail term for using criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of the patient, Dr Lee has been practising as a locum (stand-in for other doctors who are sick or on leave) since August 2016. He has also been having a chaperone in the room when attending to female patients.

Although his employers and other female patients wrote positive testimonials in his support, the tribunal said that such gross misconduct would “bring the profession into ridicule and seriously undermine public trust in the profession”.

Dr Lee’s lawyers argued that he had a very low likelihood of re-offending, but the tribunal said that it could not overlook the fact that he had a good track record for more than 40 years before the incident happened.

“We simply cannot trust that such an incident would not happen again, with or without a chaperone, given the course of conduct that reveals a serious lack of integrity and honesty in Dr Lee,” it wrote in its grounds of decision released on Tuesday.

Noting that Dr Lee was able to work as a locum “on a full licence” after his release from jail, the tribunal said that the SMC — which regulates doctors here — may wish to consider the early appointment of interim orders committees for future cases of similar misconduct.

Such committees can order the interim suspension or impose conditions or restrictions on doctors before a court case has concluded, for instance.

Considering his deception in the molestation case, “it was only fortunate that Dr Lee did not offend during this period. If he had, this would have been a matter of grave concern”, the tribunal said.

In 2011, his victim had visited Thong Hoe Clinic in Bukit Batok for stomach wind and nausea. When she complained of chest pain and asked if she could still exercise, he put his hand into her bra and squeezed her breast.

She initially thought he was showing her the location of her heart but when he groped her again four months later, she realised it had been an excuse and made a police report. She had post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incidents.

At the hearing before the tribunal, the SMC’s lawyers had sought Dr Lee’s removal from the register and a S$10,000 fine.

Dr Lee’s lawyers had sought a fine. They said that Dr Lee — who turns 75 in November and was also a motoring writer — is the sole breadwinner of his family.

His wife suffered a stroke in 2011 and is housebound while his son, who suffered brain injury at birth, has subnormal IQ and is unable to be gainfully employed.

The tribunal decided not to impose a fine on Dr Lee, but said that he had demonstrated reprehensible conduct that was “incompatible with his continued registration”.

“Patients consent to their doctors touching their bodies based on the trust and understanding that doctors will be acting in their best interests and that it is necessary for the purpose of treating their illness,” it said. “A clear message needs to be sent that such acts by other doctors will not be tolerated.”