Doctor admits to forging certificates to provide aesthetic treatments

SINGAPORE: A doctor who wanted to provide certain aesthetic treatments at his new clinic forged certificates of competence as part of the licence application process.

Using his wife's certificates as templates, Dr Bernard Tan Wen Sheng printed his name in a similar font size, placed it over his wife's name, then scanned the altered documents. 

He submitted four certificates forged in this manner to the authorities. 

He did not attend two of the four workshops that were prerequisites to obtaining the certificates. He attended the other two workshops but had lost his original certificates. 

On Monday (Jun 30), he pleaded guilty to two out of four charges of forgery and one charge of giving false information to a public servant. The remaining charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing. 

Dr Tan is still registered as a doctor, the Singapore Medical Council's (SMC) database showed. His practising certificate is set to expire at the end of this year. 

In response to a query CNA sent on Monday, the SMC confirmed that Dr Tan is a registered medical practitioner with a valid practising certificate.
 
"The SMC is aware of the ongoing court proceedings concerning Dr Tan and will determine the appropriate action to be taken upon the conclusion of these proceedings," the SMC said in a response on Jul 7. 

USED WIFE'S DOCUMENTS

Around February 2023, Dr Tan decided to set up his own practice, called Bay Aesthetics Clinic, at Marina Bay Link Mall. 

He had to apply for a clinic licence from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to do so. 

As part of the process, applicants must submit certificates of competence showing that they have attended workshops and passed exams for each procedure the clinic intends to offer.

During Dr Tan's application process, a staff member from MOH asked for certificates in relation to three services his clinic would provide: botulinum toxin injections, fillers and chemical peels. 

Dr Tan realised that he did not have the original certificates and decided to alter his wife's certificates, which had been issued in 2017 for chemical peels, intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for hair removal, filler injection and botulinum toxin injections.

He placed a slip of paper with his name printed in matching font size over his wife’s name, scanned the documents and emailed them to MOH on Feb 21, 2023.

He did not attend workshops related to chemical peels and IPL hair removal.

He attended workshops for filler injections and botulinum toxin injections on Mar 26, 2017, but had lost the original certificates. 

MAINTAINED LIE

The MOH employee replied within a week after his email to say that the Aesthetic Dermatology Education Group (ADEG), which had issued the certificates, could not find records of his attendance at the workshops for chemical peels and IPL hair removal. 

The employee asked for the original certificates or an email confirmation of his attendance by ADEG. In the email, the employee warned Dr Tan against providing false information, drawing his attention to the relevant section and penalties under the law. 

In reply, Dr Tan insisted that he had attended the workshops but lost the original certificates. 

He lied that the certificates he sent were "grainy" because his family members had scanned them after a fire in his home in October 2017, which resulted in water damage to some of his documents. 

He maintained in a further email that the copies he scanned were from his original certificates. 

Dr Tan's application was approved on Mar 13, 2023, but he was only allowed to provide the services for filler injections and botulinum toxin injections, since MOH could only verify his attendance for these workshops. 

Dr Tan eventually attended the workshops for chemical peel and IPL hair removal on Apr 29, 2023. 

The prosecution sought four to six months' jail for his offences.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan said that had the forged certificates gone undetected, Dr Tan would have gotten away with a licence to provide four aesthetic services despite not being certified as competent to provide two of these safely.

"Given that the offences were committed against a public institution, compounded by their effect on public health and safety, we submit that the accused’s present offences must be met with a deterrent sentence to drive home the message that such offences will not be tolerated," Ms Tan said. 

MITIGATION

Dr Tan's lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan sought a high fine that was in line with past cases he tendered, for which offenders were fined between S$6,000 (US$4,700) and S$10,000. 

Mr Kalidass said in Dr Tan's mitigation that his client genuinely thought that he had attended the necessary courses but simply lost his documents in a fire that broke out in his house in October 2017. 

A number of his personal documents had been destroyed in this fire, the lawyer added. 

Dr Tan also attended and completed in 2019 a Certificate in Aesthetic Medicine Course organised by the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine, which was similar to the course by ADEG. 

He therefore formed the impression that he had completed the chemical peels and IPL hair removal workshops, Mr Kalidass argued. 

"In Dr Tan’s mind, sending a copy of the relevant certificates of competence was a matter of formality, given his bona fide belief that he had indeed attended and completed the ADEG courses in question." 

Pointing out that his client's "rudimentary" forgery was committed over a few minutes, the defence counsel said that this showed the offence was a "kneejerk reaction" rather than it being carefully planned. 

He also said that his client had been under substantial stress because he was in the process of setting up his clinic.

"At the outset, we emphasise that Dr Tan never provided chemical peels and IPL hair removal services without the requisite certificates of competence," Mr Kalidass said, adding that his client took remedial action by attending and completing the necessary courses on later in April 2023. 

"It is submitted that no actual harm (to patients or members of the public) eventuated from Dr Tan’s actions.

"We are instructed that Dr Tan has a pristine professional record with no complaints against him in the 11 years of his professional practice," Mr Kalidass said. 

Dr Tan's sentencing is slated to be heard on Jul 29. 

For providing false information to a public servant, he can be jailed up to six months or fined up to S$5,000, or both. 

For forgery, he can be jailed up to four years or fined, or both, on each count.