SINGAPORE — A doctor was charged on Thursday (Sept 2) for allegedly falsifying more than S$62,000 in medical claims involving 215 patients at his clinics. 

Wong Choo Wai, 50, is accused of cheating polyclinics into paying subsidies under the Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) by submitting false claims for medical procedures that he did not perform, the police said in a statement. 

For procedures that Wong did carry out, he had allegedly inflated the amount claimed, the police added. He allegedly also falsified his patients’ medical case notes in order to support the claims.

The alleged offences took place between 2015 and 2016.

Wong owns two private clinics — Bedok Day and Night Clinic and Jurong Day and Night Clinic — and is a practising doctor in one of them. 

In court on Thursday, he was charged with eight counts of cheating and falsification of accounts.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years’ jail and a fine for each charge of cheating and falsification of accounts under the Penal Code.

Wong’s bail was set at S$60,000 and his case will be heard again on Sept 30.

TODAY previously interviewed Wong in May, among others, as part of The Big Read weekend feature on how healthcare frontliners were being pushed to their limits during the pandemic.

The Ministry of Health introduced Chas in 2000 and it enables Singaporeans to receive subsidies for medical care at participating general practitioner and dental clinics.

Last year, a dentist was imprisoned for 46 weeks for submitting 25 false Chas claims worth more than S$18,000.