Changi General Hospital doctor sanctioned for taking meth on weekends for 8 years

A doctor found taking methamphetamine for about eight years has been censured by the Singapore Medical Council's (SMC) register of medical practitioners.

Darren Leong Kok Cheong, a medical practitioner since April 2006, was a senior doctor at Changi General Hospital's department of sport and exercise medicine when he committed the offences, according to the SMC's grounds of decision published on Oct. 13.

Over the eight years, Leong would consume drugs at home on Saturdays so that the effects of the drugs would wear off on Sunday and he would be fit for work by Monday.

On Feb. 9, 2023, he was arrested at his home by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers for consuming meth and possessing at least 2.45 g of meth and various drug-taking utensils.

Subsequently, from Feb. 16 to May 19, 2023, Leong received drug treatment and rehabilitation.

At a disciplinary hearing on Jun. 11, 2025, Leong pleaded guilty to the charge of improper conduct that brought disrepute to the medical profession.

On Jul. 21, the SMC disciplinary tribunal made the decision to censure Leong and deregister him as a fully registered medical practitioner, which would prevent him from practising medicine in Singapore.

The deregistration took effect 40 days after that.

However, he is allowed to apply for conditional registration, which, if approved, will allow him to practice under certain conditions.

Affecting his ability to work

In assessing the level of harm posed by Leong's misconduct, the disciplinary tribunal noted the following points raised by Leong's lawyer.

Leong did not consume drugs at work, and no drug or drug-taking utensil was found at his workplace, according to his lawyer.

Changi General Hospital did not receive any complaints from Dr Leong’s patients that he was not discharging his duties.

There was also no publicity of Leong's arrest, or any specific disrepute brought to the profession by his misconduct, the lawyer added.

The disciplinary tribunal accepted that there was no evidence of actual harm, and ultimately evaluated that his misconduct caused "moderate" harm.

Nonetheless, they argued that Leong’s drug consumption did affect his ability to work, and the potential for harm cannot be excluded altogether.

Leong had admitted there were instances where he "found it challenging to cope with the side effects of consuming methamphetamine" and "did encounter difficulties in coming to work punctually", for a period of time in 2019.

Showed remorse

According to his lawyer, Leong had taken drugs to deal with the "pressures" of being bisexual, and to manage his vocal dystonia.

Leong sings in the church choir.

The lawyer also highlighted that Leong had shown remorse for his misconduct, including by disclosing his arrest early to the SMC, and cooperating with the disciplinary investigations and proceedings.

To ensure he would not relapse, Leong moved back to stay with his parents, and saw a psychiatrist, who, along with a social worker, has submitted positive reports on his progress to give up drugs.

The SMC disciplinary tribunal, however, asserted that such personal mitigating factors carried less weight compared with public interest in medical misconduct cases.

In determining Leong's culpability, they emphasised that he had abused drugs for "a very long period" of eight years, was already a senior medical practitioner at the time of the misconduct.

The sanctions

Though he has been removed from the register of medical practitioners, Leong will be allowed to apply for conditional registration.

He would first need to provide the SMC with a letter of undertaking, which would allow him to engage in clinical practice under supervision for 12 months.

He would also need to attend drug rehabilitation and treatment for 12 months, and submit reports from an approved addictions specialist on his rehabilitation.

The 12-month supervision period may be extended by SMC if Leong fails to comply with the conditions at the end of the period.

Since September 2023, Leong has been placed under a performance improvement plan by Changi General Hospital’s Committee of Inquiry, with supervision from the SingHealth Disciplinary Council.

Between November 2024 and April 2025, he was permitted to see patients in person, and to see new patients.

This plan will continue until Apr. 30, 2026, with monthly reviews with Leong's head of department.

Top images from Canva and Changi General Hospital