DOC TELLS UNDERCOVER REPORTER:
It costs $300, no need to register


IT was a call for help. A cry of indignation, trust misplaced and life endangered.

'How can a doctor perform abortions without a licence?

'What if something goes terribly wrong during the procedure?' a hotline caller raged.

It was enough to pique our interest.

Mary, 23, tipped us off about a general practitioner (GP) who performed abortions without using any sedatives, painkillers or even registering patients.

She heard about his so-called underground services from a friend who sought his help for an unwanted pregnancy.

At that time, Mary was desperate, being pregnant herself.

She was unwed and didn't want her parents to know about the pregnancy or abortion.

She went to check out the GP, but barely a few minutes into the conversation, she decided there was something fishy about the doctor.

DODGY

The clinic is located in the eastern part of Singapore.

'He didn't allow patients to use Medisave, and was dodgy when I asked questions,' she recalled.

In the end, she went to a certified gynaecologist for an abortion.

A few months later, a colleague, Jane, confided in her that she had gone for an abortion at the same clinic.

We persuaded Jane for more than a week to share the story with us. She eventually relented.

We decided to investigate.

For about three days, I hung out at a coffeeshop opposite the clinic and observed the patients at the clinic.

Many were women.

I spoke briefly with a few women, who didn't want to say much except that they went to see the doctor for woman-related problems.

UNDERCOVER

An intern, Syahirah Anwar, who was working with us then, was roped in to go undercover.

She pretended to be pregnant, frightened and ignorant about the abortion procedure.

The GP confirmed our suspicions.

He said the abortion would cost about $300, which is lower than the market rate of between $400 and $500.

No registration was required.

She was told payment had to be made in cash and there was no consultation charge for that visit.

All she had to do was to make an appointment for the abortion.

About an hour after Ms Syahirah left the clinic, photographer Hedy Khoo and I went in and asked to speak with the doctor.

Two women at the registration counter told us to wait till the consultations were over before we could see him.

About 45 minutes later, we finally met the GP.

'Do you do abortions?' I asked.

STUNNED

He was stunned, and after a long pause, said no. But three women have told us that you do, I said. Again he paused, before denying it again and saying 'no'.

He said he stopped doing abortions a long time ago when his gynaecologist left, but declined to say more.

As he spoke, he got increasingly annoyed and snapped at us, asking if we were police investigators. He asked us to produce evidence of the abortions if we could.

He quickly waved us out, saying that he had enough.

We alerted the Ministry of Health, which looked into the matter.

After the report was published, the Singapore Medical Association also wrote in to express its 'strong view against doctors conducting abortions without meeting the appropriate legal requirements and clinical practices'.

Doctors have to be licensed to perform abortions.