When a Doctor’s Oops—Ends in a Fine & a Fatality
On February 10, 2025, the Singapore courts slapped a 77‑year‑old GP named Haridass Ramdass with a $1,500 penalty for negligent endangerment of his 28‑year‑old patient, Savarimuthu Arul Xavier. Xavier, an Indian construction worker who had joined the workforce in Singapore, tragically passed away back in December 2014 after an invasive fungal infection shot straight to his skin.
The Timeline of Care
- October–November 2014: Xavier visited three different GPs while developing rashes all over his body, face, and limbs.
- October: Each clinic diagnosed psoriasis and prescribed antihistamines and steroid creams.
- November 24: He walked into Tekka Clinic in Little India, the only doctor in the place—Haridass—with bright red, round lesions, even on his scalp.
What Goof Up?
Haridass gave him a double‑dose:
- Dexamethasone injection (a steroid used for arthritis & breathing problems).
- 10 tablets of methotrexate (MTX) (the same potion that’s handy in cancer treatment but can be a real party‑pooper if the kidneys aren’t in top shape).
- 10 tablets of prednisolone.
- 10 tablets of chlorpheniramine.
“MTX can’t be ignored when the kidneys are off‑key. It may do a full-throttle bone‑marrow dehydration or prompt deadly fungal opportunisms,” warned Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh.
But—ready for it?—Haridass didn’t run any kidney‑function tests. So he missed the red flag that could have saved a life.
Legal Twists
- Original charge: “Causing death by rash act.”
- Prosecution trimmed it to “endangering personal safety by negligent act.”
- Possible maximum: 3 years jail & $1,500 fine (but the judge kept it light).
- Haridass retired and didn’t renew his practising certificate—so the court acknowledged he’d no longer be on the medical radar.
- Judge Eddy Tham noted he “could not impose jail because no significant harm had unfortunately materialised from the MTX pills,” a nod to the slap‑on‑the‑back style sentencing.
Mitigations & Apologies
- Lawyer (Dr. Davinder Singh) called Haridass “genuinely remorseful” and affirmed he was sorry for the mistake.
- He also said “no risk of repeat offences” because Haridass had stepped away from practice.
- Haridass’s admission: the court had a “maximum penalty of 3 years” for the accountability he was holding.
In the end, the judgment was a fair lesson about patient safety: no more “raving off tests” or “doses without a kidney check.” While the fine didn’t cover the cost of the lost life, it reminded everyone that a small slip can become a grave issue.
—Reprinted from The Straits Times.Note: All reproductions require permission.
