Ex-SGH doctor gives herself MCs to cover absences on 2 days, suspended for 3 years

A former doctor at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has been suspended for three years after she admitted to giving herself Medical Certificates (MCs) for her absences from work.

According to a grounds of decision published on the Government Gazette on Sep. 9, Cherida Yong Chun Yin was suspended from Sep. 3, 2025 to Sep. 2, 2028 by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).

Forged two MCs in 2022

Yong, then a House Officer at SGH, had admitted to creating two MCs dated Jul. 1 and Sep. 12 in 2022.

She had forged the MCs after she had "absented herself from work" without a "legitimate medical excuse".

Each bore the name and registration number of another doctor from "Clinic A".

Neither certificate was issued nor authorised by the clinic.

Internal administrative checks at SGH uncovered the discrepancies after confirming with "Clinic A" that no such MCs were issued.

Yong later admitted she had fabricated the documents to cover her absences.

Following internal investigations by the hospital, the matter was referred to the SMC.

Forgeries were not based on her "stress"

The tribunal said that Yong's forgeries were "deliberate" and "premeditated".

They also noted that her actions were repeated and not mere impulsive lapses.

The panel also rejected claims that stress explained her behaviour, saying the stressors indicated by Yong were "not uncommon" and were "general contextual factors, not causative explanations".

Psychiatric evidence did not persuade the tribunal otherwise, as Yong was not found with any diagnosable disorder and assessments revealed that she had full insight at the time.

SMC ruled that her actions amounted to conduct bringing disrepute to the medical profession under section 59D(1)(b) of the Medical Registration Act.

Although no patients were harmed, the tribunal stressed that falsifying medical documents strikes at a "foundational ethical obligation of the profession".

Top photos via Canva & Google Maps