Did SG Doc chop royal family's carrot head?

[Ahtong]

SMC LAWYER TELLS COURT:

Surgeon inflated $400 bill to $211,000

By Selina Lum

 

A SPECIALIST who treated surgeon Susan Lim's patient sent a bill for $400. She marked it up to $211,000 when she billed the Brunei High Commission here.

 

Another doctor charged $500, but Dr Lim bumped that up to $93,500. Yet another bill for $3,000 was raised to $285,100.

 

These and several other revelations of how Dr Lim charged her patient - a woman member of Brunei's royal family - for treatment by other doctors were made in the High Court yesterday by Senior Counsel Alvin Yeo.

 

Representing the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), he cited the allegedly inflated bills to show there was a case for a disciplinary committee to launch an inquiry against the doctor.

 

Dr Lim is fighting the SMC's decision to appoint a second disciplinary committee to investigate an accusation by the Health Ministry here that she overcharged her Brunei patient, Pengiran Anak Hajah Damit.

 

The patient, the younger sister of Brunei's Queen and a cousin of the Sultan, had breast cancer and died in August 2007. Dr Lim treated the woman from 2001 until she died.

 

Dr Lim's lawyer, Senior Counsel Lee Eng Beng, told the court yesterday that she had informed the patient early on in their relationship that the close care and attention she needed would cost $100,000 to $200,000 a day.

 

He said the patient had insisted on having Dr Lim as her doctor and, referring to the royal household, had assured Dr Lim she should not worry about the charges, saying: 'Istana is paying.'

 

The Bruneians paid all her bills up to March 2007.

 

But after the patient died, Dr Lim was queried on the rest of the 2007 bill, which came up to $24.8 million.

 

After Dr Lim gave various discounts, the bill was eventually brought down to $3.25 million.

 

Yesterday, the court heard for the first time the list of specific charges on the bills. Mr Yeo said that third-party specialists who treated the patient would send their bills to Dr Lim. She would then mark up the bills when she sent her invoices to the Brunei High Commission.

 

Mr Yeo argued that the way the invoices were presented suggested those were the fees being charged by the other doctors or were intended for them.

 

He stressed he was not asking the High Court to conclude that Dr Lim was overcharging, but that a disciplinary committee should look into the matter.

 

Mr Yeo also said Dr Lim had charged the patient for cancelling two conferences, on top of treatment fees. One bill was for $78,000, while the other was for $180,000. She also charged between $35,000 and $45,000 a day when her employees accompanied the patient for radiotherapy sessions at the hospital.

 

When the patient was in intensive care for five days in May 2007, attended to by hospital doctors and nurses, Dr Lim charged $450,000 for the first day and $250,000 for the other four days for 'monitoring services'.

 

In July 2007, the Brunei High Commission alerted Brunei's Ministry of Health (MOHB), expressing concern over the 'very high bills' from Dr Lim.

 

That month, two MOHB representatives came to Singapore and spoke to Dr Lim Cheok Peng, chief executive of Parkway Holdings, which runs the medical centres where Dr Lim has her clinics.

 

She then started to reduce her fees.

 

On Aug 1, 2007, she wrote to MOHB to disregard the bills that were for services provided by the other doctors, and gave a 25 per cent discount on her own bills.

 

On Aug 18, 2007, she wrote to MOHB apologising for the 'inadvertent mistakes' made by her office.

 

But on Aug 27, 2007, MOHB asked Singapore's Health Ministry to intervene, saying the charges were unacceptable.

 

On Nov 12, 2007, Dr Lim wrote to MOHB, offering to waive her fees from Jan 15 to June 14, 2007, as a goodwill gesture and suggesting that it pay only $3.25 million.

 

In January 2009, Dr Lim and her husband went to Brunei and offered to waive all her fees and third-party bills if MOHB was prepared to issue a 'letter of good standing'. The letter was to essentially state that the Brunei government would not pursue the matter any further and take no issue with her bills.

 

Her request was not taken up.

 

Dr Lim now claims she had a 'fee agreement' with her patient, but yesterday, pointing to her 'tactics', Mr Yeo said these were not the actions of someone who had an agreement.

 

He argued that her move to stop the SMC from setting up a disciplinary committee was an abuse of process.

 

The hearing continues on Monday.

 

[Gearoil]

Like that ar?

 

IF YOU KNOW......You should post about the events ( PERSONAL ONES ) when she was younger...

 

MUCH MORE COLORFUL!

[Yahgo22]

 

 

 

 

 

Can all the inflations be considered as MALPRACTISE OR CHEATINGS?

[Shorty]

ugly doc with ugly ethics.

[Parkingidiot]

wah...this doctor have potential to be next HDB ministar....

[Yahgo22]

The pic shows that she is LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.

 

Better she GO AND ROB THE BANK.

 

The moral of the story is NEVER LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR DOCTOR SAY.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Yahgo22

[Twnll]

now we know know why health care hav escalated so much, greedy doctors!

[Gearoil]

wah...this doctor have potential to be next HDB ministar....

 

HDB?

 

No....directly made Ministar in charge of casino...special portfolio 'casino regulation and control'!

 

 

[Coupecabriolet]

wow. if it was a one time affair.. maybe judge can close one eye and treat it as honest mistake. but look at the history... damn stupid.

 

charge so much, nothing happen.. happily put into pocket. when people investigate, start waiving, give discounts lol.

[Beehive3783]

From few hundreds can become few hundred thousands.. really a money grubbing b****

[Ahtong]

But do you feel that the victim is like one big robert?

 

$500 already make a peasant like me steam. They can wave off millions like small change.

[Yahgo22]

 

 

 

Maybe the patient din die of the BREAST CANCER.

 

She died of HEART ATTACK.

 

The way her doc charged her.

[Shorty]

wow. if it was a one time affair.. maybe judge can close one eye and treat it as honest mistake. but look at the history... damn stupid.

 

charge so much, nothing happen.. happily put into pocket. when people investigate, start waiving, give discounts lol.

 

yeah la....a sure sign of guilt. trying to erase the "mistake"...even trying to make a deal if the brunieans.

[Shorty]

But do you feel that the victim is like one big robert?

 

$500 already make a peasant like me steam. They can wave off millions like small change.

 

the patient is crazily rich. n if paying a lot can make her stay alive longer, i'm sure the queen wont mind. all small change to them.

[Yahgo22]

 

 

 

Dr Lim's lawyer, Senior Counsel Lee Eng Beng, told the court yesterday that she had informed the patient early on in their relationship that the close care and attention she needed would cost $100,000 to $200,000 a day.

 

 

$100k to $200k a day.

 

In no time she will be richer than PETER LIM.

 

[RadX]

Dr Lim's lawyer, Senior Counsel Lee Eng Beng, told the court yesterday that she had informed the patient early on in their relationship that the close care and attention she needed would cost $100,000 to $200,000 a day.

 

 

$100k to $200k a day.

 

In no time she will be richer than PETER LIM.

 

our ministar see this....they also raise the benchmark....say gotta PEG TO PRIVATE SECTOR

[Ender]

$400 3rd party specialist bill, she marked up to $211,000.. This type of middleman commission very high..

 

Sent staff to accompany patient to radiology charge $35000-$45000. How much she paid her staff salary? Even if her staff are PHD qualified doc, also don't cost that much.

 

[RadX]

$400 3rd party specialist bill, she marked up to $211,000.. This type of middleman commission very high..

 

Sent staff to accompany patient to radiology charge $35000-$45000. How much she paid her staff salary? Even if her staff are PHD qualified doc, also don't cost that much.

 

maybe minister?