Dr Harold Tan
Director
Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Division
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
16 College Road
College of Medicine Building
Singapore 169854
Dear Dr Tan
Re: Guidelines on provision of Electrocardiography Stress Testing (EST).
We refer to the Guidelines on Provision of EST which will take effect on 1 January 2016. We further refer to our feedback provided to the Ministry on 5 May 2015 and the response from Mr Peter Lee, Deputy Director (Licensing, Inspection and Audit Branch), Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Division via email dated 10 June 2015 to our Mr Lee Sze Yong.
We had highlighted feedback from our members that should doctors not proceed with EST based on pre-test probability scores, in accordance with the Guidelines, and the patient suffers adverse outcomes such as a major heart attack which could possibly have been picked up with the use of EST, there would be liability concerns.
We are pleased to hear from Mr Peter Lee that the Ministry has undertaken to support the doctor in proceedings against the doctor, in the event where a doctor who has complied with the Guidelines did not proceed with the EST but the patient unfortunately suffers a major heart attack.
If you have no objections, we would release MOH's response to our feedback to our membership.
Yours sincerely
Dr Wong Tien Hua
President
Singapore Medical Association