Wed Sep 25 03:36:24 UTC 2024: ## Veteran Singaporean Gynecologist Suspended for Negligence Leading to Patient’s Miscarriage
**SINGAPORE** – A 12-month suspension has been handed down to Dr Chen Yun Hian Christopher, a veteran specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, for negligence during a 2013 surgery that led to a patient’s miscarriage. The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) Disciplinary Tribunal found Dr Chen’s actions amounted to “serious negligence.”
In 2013, Dr Chen performed a procedure on a patient, known only as Ms C, who sought his help to improve her fertility. During the surgery, Dr Chen made an excessively wide incision in the patient’s uterine wall, removing an excessive amount of healthy tissue. He failed to close the defect layer by layer, instead using purse-string sutures.
This deviation from standard practice led to a uterine rupture and miscarriage for Ms C in her second trimester of pregnancy in 2014. Ms C filed a complaint with the SMC in 2016, alleging that Dr Chen did not inform her of the potential risks associated with the surgery.
The SMC concluded that Dr Chen’s actions placed Ms C at an increased risk of uterine rupture and miscarriage, both of which occurred. Despite Dr Chen’s claim that he believed his approach was in the patient’s best interest, the tribunal deemed his actions “entirely inappropriate” and found that he had “deviated from the acceptable methods.”
The tribunal also acknowledged the inordinate delay in prosecution, attributing it to the complexity of the medical issues involved and difficulty in finding expert opinions. While Dr Chen’s lawyers argued for a shorter suspension, citing his ill health and lack of intention to harm the patient, the tribunal ultimately decided on the 12-month suspension.
Dr Chen has also been censured and required to give a written undertaking to the SMC that he will not engage in similar misconduct in the future. He must also pay the costs of the proceedings.
First Piper 