S'pore TCM practitioner leaves acupuncture needles in patient's head & toe, gets 3 months' suspension

A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner in Singapore was suspended for three months after he failed to remove acupuncture needles from a patient's head and toe in September 2021, leaving the patient to discover them himself.

The needle left in the patient's toe was found and removed before the patient left the clinic, but a needle left in the patient's head was only discovered six hours later, after the patient felt dizzy with pain and discomfort.

In its grounds of decision published on Jan. 13, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board (TCMPB) found that Chua Kah Gay had been negligent, and that he had breached various regulations when he administered acupuncture at an undisclosed clinic on the male patient.

What happened

On Sep. 19, 2021, Chua's patient had gone to the clinic between 3pm to 4pm to get acupuncture treatment on his head and body.

He later felt a sharp pain while wearing his slippers after the session ended and found an unremoved needle on his toe area.

After leaving the clinic in the evening, the patient experienced dizziness, pain and discomfort at his head area, where he found another attached needle at around 10pm — six hours after it had been used as part of the acupuncture treatment.

He returned to the clinic, and had the needle removed by the clinic's massage therapist. By then, Chua had already left.

He also bled around the area where the needle was found, and experienced symptoms such as dizziness, headache, migraine and vomiting.

The headache and migraine persisted for several weeks, until Oct. 9, 2021 at least.

Chua called the patient on Sep. 22 and was informed that the latter was not able to go to work due to the symptoms.

The patient later filed a complaint to the board with a letter dated Oct. 9, 2021.

Failed to provide competent and appropriate care to patient: TCMPB

The TCMPB said that Chua did not remove all needles after the session, and did not ensured that there were no remaining needles even after the patient told him about the needle on his toe area.

The board added that this constituted to a failure in providing "good clinical care" care to the patient, and also highlighted that he did not provide competent and appropriate care.

It emphasised that the needles were left behind after the acupuncture treatment, remained there throughout a tuina treatment the patient underwent, and were only discovered approximately six hours later.

In addition, the TCMPB also attributed Chua's failure to remove all the needles after the treatment to his negligence, and said he had failed to "take sufficient steps" to prevent it.

Chua had reportedly performed a visual scanning but did not notice the two needles, and admitted that such visual scanning was insufficient as the needles were lodged in areas that he was not able to see.

The board also noted that Chua did not count the needles during the acupuncture and when they were removed.

His actions had led to the patient suffering physical injury in the form of pain, discomfort, and bleeding.

Penalties

The TCMPB said that Chua's conduct during and after the incident amounted to professional negligence.

In its sentencing, the board cited the harm done, and Chua's culpability, saying that "such injury was foreseeable" and that he "should have been more careful" in checking whether there were other unremoved needles on the patient.

Chua's TCM practitioner registration has been suspended for three months.

He will also be censured, ordered him to give an undertaking on the board's term to abstain from similar conduct, and to pay the costs and expenses relating to the inquiry against him.

Top photos via Canva