Doctor says MOH should lift the gag on doctors and allow them to respond publicly, as patients weaponize social media

SINGAPORE: A medical doctor has argued that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) should lift the gag on doctors and allow them to respond publicly, as patients use social media to threaten healthcare workers.

Dr Desmond Wai, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist in private practice, considers complaints that patients post on social media a form of “abuse against healthcare workers.”

In a forum letter published by the national broadsheet on Tuesday (21 Mar), Dr Wai said that it is common for some patients to threaten to post negative reviews or videos of clinics or healthcare workers on social media platforms, out of dissatisfaction with the waiting time or queuing.

Noting many such complaints have gone viral in the past, Dr Wai said that doctors are unable to respond due to strict patient confidentiality rules and ethical guidelines. He added:

“The public should be wary of such complaints from patients, as they tell only one side of the story. Patients’ complaints can be factually wrong, or they may not have the full picture of a situation.”

Arguing that a one-sided narrative is created when patients bypass the proper channels like MOH and SMC to air their complaints, Dr Wai called on both authorities to allow doctors to publicly respond to such complaints in the future. Read his letter in full here.