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SINGAPORE – Authorities are cracking down on telemedicine providers failing to meet healthcare standards, with eight companies currently under scrutiny for clinical care lapses or misleading service promotions, revealed Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary during a January 7 parliamentary session.
Three providers, including prominent operator MaNaDr Clinic, have already faced regulatory action. Investigations uncovered alarming practices at MaNaDr, where over 100,000 virtual consultations lasted less than one minute during a sampled period. These findings prompted the Ministry of Health (MOH) to revoke the clinic's operating license effective December 20.
When questioned about potential industry-wide misconduct following the MaNaDr case, Dr. Janil identified two primary violation categories among the investigated firms:
Clinical shortcomings: Prescriptions and medical certificates issued without proper patient evaluation; failure to conduct video consultations for new patients
Misleading promotions: Advertisements encouraging unnecessary use of telehealth services
"We've implemented sanctions ranging from temporary suspensions to formal warnings based on violation severity," Dr. Janil stated. Several practitioners have been referred to the Singapore Medical Council for possible professional misconduct investigations.
The ministry received 59 telemedicine-related complaints involving 20 operators in early 2024. "We're observing concerning patterns including abnormally brief consultation times," noted Dr. Janil while clarifying that short sessions aren't inherently problematic when treating established patients or handling follow-ups with complete medical information.
"Telehealth itself isn't the issue - it's whether proper clinical protocols are maintained through this delivery method," emphasized Dr. Janil. "Some cases require in-person evaluation, while others need sufficient consultation time and thorough documentation."
The minister addressed concerns about telemedicine enabling easy access to unjustified medical certificates: "This risk exists in traditional settings too. We evaluate multiple factors - consultation metrics, patient demographics, and therapeutic justification - to determine appropriate care."
Acknowledging telehealth's transformative potential for immobile patients and routine follow-ups, Dr. Janil stressed: "Like any innovation phase requires establishing best practices through appropriate oversight." The ministry encourages public reporting of questionable telemedicine practices via moh_qsm@moh.gov.sg.
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