SINGAPORE: A doctor who took methamphetamine for about eight years, consuming the drugs on Saturdays so the effects would wear off in time for work on Monday, has been sanctioned by a disciplinary tribunal.
According to the grounds of decision published on Monday (Oct 13), Dr Leong Kok Cheong Darren was ordered to be de-registered as a fully registered practitioner under Part I of the Register of Medical Practitioners, which means he cannot practise medicine in Singapore.
He is allowed to apply for registration under Part II of the register, which comes with various conditions including providing the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) with a letter of undertaking, practising under a supervisor and attending drug rehabilitation for a period of time.
Dr Leong, whose age was not stated, was a medical practitioner since April 2006 and was practising at the department of sport and exercise medicine at Changi General Hospital (CGH) at the time of the offence.
In June this year, Dr Leong pleaded guilty to a charge under the Medical Registration Act for improper conduct which brought disrepute for the medical profession.
He was arrested by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in February 2023 at his home, for consuming methamphetamine and for possessing at least 2.45g of meth and drug-taking utensils.
He was committed to a drug rehabilitation centre from February to May in 2023.
Dr Leong consumed the drugs for about eight years, taking them at home on Saturdays so that the effects would wear off on Sunday and that he would be fit for work by Monday.
According to his lawyer, he did not take the drugs at work, and no drug or drug-taking utensil was found at his workplace.
CGH did not receive any complaint from Dr Leong’s patients that he was not discharging his duties.
Dr Leong’s lawyers, Ms Rebecca Chew and Ms Priscilla Soh from Rajah & Tann, noted also that there was no publicity of Dr Leong’s arrest or any specific disrepute brought to the profession.
However, the tribunal said Dr Leong’s drug consumption did affect his ability to work, and said the potential for harm cannot be excluded altogether.
This was because Dr Leong admitted that there were some instances in 2019 when he found it “challenging to cope with the side effects of consuming methamphetamine and I did encounter difficulties in coming to work punctually”.
The tribunal noted that Dr Leong had abused drugs for a very long period, and he was already a senior medical practitioner at the time of the misconduct.
His lawyers said he consumed drugs to deal with the pressures of being bisexual and to manage his vocal dystonia, which causes spasms in the voice box resulting in speech difficulties. Dr Leong sings in the church choir.
They said he made an early disclosure of his arrest by CNB to SMC, cooperated with disciplinary investigations and took steps to ensure he did not relapse.
He saw a psychiatrist, moved back with his parents and developed healthy life habits, said the lawyers.
Since September 2023, Dr Leong has been placed under a performance improvement plan, imposed by CGH’s Committee of Inquiry with supervision from the SingHealth Disciplinary Council.
On top of the de-registration, the tribunal ordered that Dr Leong be censured, give a written undertaking to SMC and pay costs of the proceedings.
