Doctor Saifuddin Sidek suspended, censured

Fifty-two-year-old Saifuddin Sidek, a registered medical practitioner, obstetrician and gynaecologist has been suspended for three months and censured for professional misconduct, after he errantly prescribed drugs and behaved inappropriately with a patient.

He runs Sidek Clinic for Women, which is at Eastpoint in Simei.

The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) said on Friday Dr Saifuddin pleaded guilty to two charges during a disciplinary inquiry by its Disciplinary Committee (DC).

The DC acted on a complaint made on May 20, 2010.

The first charge relates to the way he prescribed benzodiazepines, which are for patients who suffer from insomnia or need short-term relief of anxiety.

The DC found Dr Saifuddin had prescribed benzodiazepines to one patient on at least 14 occasions from August 2007 to April 2010, without maintaining any medical records or supervising the usage of the high dosage prescriptions or even trying to taper down the dosages.

The DC found he even delivered the drugs to her personally and provided her with post-dated prescriptions through the post.

Given he was aware the patient's parents were seeking to regulate her reliance on benzodiazepines, instead of working with them on this, Dr Saifuddin effectively undermined such efforts.

For this, he was suspended for three months.

Turning to the second charge of inappropriate conduct, the DC said there is nothing wrong in offering assistance to a patient but stressed a physician must observe the boundaries of a doctor-patient relationship.

It said when Dr Saifuddin started prescribing benzodiazepines to the patient after treating her as her gynaecologist, he continued a doctor-patient relationship with her.

The DC rejected Dr Saifuddin's claim that he had developed an "avuncular social relationship" with the patient.

It found he had allowed his relationship to cloud his judgement, which resulted in his errant prescription and in him checking the patient into various hotels.

He was censured for this charge.

The DC noted there was no evidence of any sexual relationship between Dr Saifuddin and the patient, nor any evidence he had attempted to take advantage of the patient.

It added if there had been any sexual relationship or attempt to take advantage of the patient, it would not hesitate to strike him off the Register of Medical Practitioners or to impose a long period of suspension.

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