Woman Charged for Forging MC & Also Death Cert to Get Compassionate Leave

How far would you go to get an MC just to skip work?

You’d probably just head to a clinic, or abuse the system by using a teleconsultation.

Someone did so by forging it at home altogether without seeing a doctor, and she’s now in trouble.

Woman Charged for Forging MC & Also Death Cert to Get Compassionate Leave

A 37-year-old Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident faced charges in court on Thursday, 8 August 2024, for using a forged death certificate to get compassionate leave.

She was also accused of forging medical certificates (MCs) to obtain medical leave

According to court documents, she allegedly submitted a fake electronic MC from “St Luke Hospital” to her employer on 1 April .

The document, dated 31 March, was reportedly forged at a flat in Bukit Batok Street 11.

Another fake MC from the same hospital, dated April 5, was allegedly submitted by her on 8 April.

In both instances, she is accused of intending to deceive her company to gain medical leave.

That’s not all.

On 15 April 15, she also allegedly submitted a forged death certificate dated 8 April for a person named Zhang Weiqin to another of her employer.

Yes, she was not just faking two types of leave; she worked in two companies, too.

The charge sheet indicates this was done to fraudulently obtain compassionate leave.

Using a forged death certificate is an offence under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act.

She has been scheduled to plead guilty in September 2024, and has been released on a personal bond of S$3,000. Details of how her deception was uncovered are not revealed yet.

If convicted of forgery, she could face up to four years in prison, a fine, or both. For knowingly using a forged death certificate, the penalties could be up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

Issuance of MC a Talking Point in Singapore

In May this year, it’s revealed that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is seeking to tighten rules on issuing MCs after receiving feedback that some doctors were issuing them excessively or improperly, especially via teleconsultations. The allegations include:

• MCs being issued for non-medical reasons, such as patients wanting to skip work or school despite not being sick
• MCs being issued without proper clinical assessments or follow-ups to verify the patient’s condition
• MCs being repeatedly issued to the same patients without referring them for further physical consultations

MOH is proposing amendments to the Healthcare Services Act to tighten conditions for issuing MCs, such as requiring the doctor’s name and registration number to be included on every MC.

You can watch this video for more details: