On 30 August 2024, 53-year-old Wong Choo Wai (“Wong”), the doctor and owner of Bedok Day & Night Clinic Pte. Ltd. and Jurong Day & Night Clinic Pte. Ltd., was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment for two counts of cheating the Ministry of Health of Singapore (“MOH”), and one count of making false entries in the clinical records of his patients. Five other cheating and falsification charges were taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing. All these charges were committed by Wong in relation to the Community Health Assist Scheme (“CHAS”).
The CHAS enables all Singapore Citizens to receive subsidies for medical and/or dental care at participating General Practitioner and dental clinics. The clinics bill patients at a subsidised rate, and the CHAS subsidies are paid by the government to the clinics directly.
Between 2015 and 2016, Wong cheated the MOH into disbursing CHAS subsidies amounting to $11,796.50 by submitting 157 fraudulent CHAS claims. These claims were false on one or more of the following points:
- The patient(s) did not visit the clinic on the date;
- The patient(s) did not have the complex chronic conditions; and/or
- The patient(s) did not undergo the medical investigation(s) as stated in those claims.
Wong had also falsified his patients’ clinical records to support these false CHAS claims.
The Police take a serious view against any person who engages in fraudulent or dishonest conduct to obtain funding from the government. Offenders will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
30 August 2024 @ 7:00 PM