Doc who committed data breach sues SingHealth for wrongful dismissal

He claims his actions were justified’ as they were for whistle-blowing purposes

- Selina Lum

A neurosurgeon is suing SingHealth for wrongful dismissal after he was sacked for repeatedly accessing the medical records of a fellow doctor's patients so that he can "police" the colleague.

Dr Eddie Tan Tung Wee, 43, said in court on July 29 that what he had done was "unauthorised but justified", as he had accessed patient records for the purposes of whistleblowing.

The healthcare group rejected Dr Tan's purported reasons for committing data breach, arguing that he was simply motivated by professional rivalry.

Dr Tan, who is not represented by a lawyer, was taking the stand on the first day of a nine-day High Court trial.

He was dismissed on March 14, 2022, after SingHealth, Singapore's largest public healthcare cluster, convened a committee of inquiry (COI) to investigate his data breach.

The reason for his dismissal was his "recalcitrant and targeted unauthorised access" of patient records, which had "irrevocably destroyed the trust and confidence necessary to continue the employment relationship".

Dr Tan filed the lawsuit against SingHealth on June 6, 2023.

He alleged that the termination of his employment was unlawful because SingHealth did not comply with certain processes during the COI proceedings, and had failed to consider that he had acted out of concern for patient safety.

SingHealth, which is represented by Senior Counsel Kuah Boon Theng, contended that it had complied with internal policies and processes.