S’pore TCM practitioner fails to remove 2 needles from patient after acupuncture treatment, gets 3 months’ suspension

TCM practitioner left needles in toe & head of patient during treatment in 2021

After finishing his acupuncture treatment at a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic, a patient painfully discovered two needles stuck in his toe and head.

For his negligence, the TCM practitioner involved was suspended for three months, according to a grounds of decision released on Monday (13 Jan).

Source: Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.

TCM practitioner places needles into head & body of patient

According to the decision by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board (TCMPB), the patient named only as Mr A visited the unnamed TCM clinic on 19 Sept 2021.

At about 3pm to 4pm, he saw TCM practitioner Chua Kah Gay, who administered acupuncture to the patient’s head and body.

After the treatment was completed, Mr Chua was supposed to have removed the needles, so Mr A went to the toilet.

In the toilet, he felt a sharp pain when wearing his slippers and found an unremoved needle “on his toe area”.

Source: rudisill on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.

Mr Chua subsequently left the clinic at about 7pm to 8pm.

Patient discovers another unremoved needle on his head

At 10pm that night, Mr A experienced dizziness, with pain and discomfort in his head.

He then discovered another needle in his head.

Rushing down to the clinic, he found that Mr Chua had left but the clinic’s massage therapist, named only as Ms S, was still around.

She finally removed the needle on his head at about 10.15pm.

When she did this, the area where the needle had been was bleeding, TCMPB said, adding:

The needle was left on the Complainant’s head after the acupuncture treatment, throughout the tuina treatment, and it was only discovered by the Complainant approximately six hours later.

Source: joci03 on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.

Patient suffers from headache & dizziness, unable to work

After the incident, Mr Chua called Mr A on 22 Sept — three days after his treatment.

The patient told him that he was suffering from headaches and dizziness and was unable to go to work.

In fact, he suffered from dizziness, headache, migraine and vomiting, TCMPB said.

He still experienced headaches and migraine on 9 Oct, three weeks after the treatment.

Mr A eventually submitted a complaint against Mr Chua to the TCMPB via a letter dated 9 Oct 2021 and a signed statutory declaration dated 22 June 2022.

TCM practitioner’s negligence led to him leaving needles in patient: TCMPB

The TCMPB accepted findings that Mr Chua had “not provided good clinical care” to Mr A.

He failed to take sufficient steps to ensure that all the needles had been removed from the patient by recording the needle count during acupuncture and upon removal of the needles, TCMPB said.

Due to this negligence, he didn’t remove all the needles from Mr A after the treatment, including the two needles on his toe and head areas.

Moreover, the statutory board added:

He did not ensure that there were no remaining needles after he was first informed about the unremoved needle on the Complainant’s toe area.

There was also a lack of, or insufficient, appropriate post-treatment care by the practitioner, TCMPB noted.

Additionally, after being informed that he had left another needle in Mr A’s head, Mr Chua didn’t call him promptly to check on his condition, TCMPB stated.

TCM practitioner suspended, must pay costs

As Mr Chua failed to remove the two needles, Mr A suffered pain, discomfort, and bleeding in his toe and head areas, TCMPB noted.

Thus, it decided to suspend his registration as a TCM practitioner for three months.

He will also be “censured” and made to give an undertaking to abstain from the conduct that is the subject of the complaint against him.

Finally, he must pay the costs and expenses related to the inquiry against him.

Also read: Doctor At Yishun Clinic Performs CPR On Seated Patient Who Later Dies, Suspended 3 Months

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Featured image adapted from Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.