CBC
Summerside psychiatrist disciplined over care of young patient
Dr. Arvind Singh must have all his pediatric cases reviewed, and pay $9,000 in costs
Carolyn Ryan · CBC News · Posted: Mar 08, 2023 3:50 PM EST | Last Updated: March 8
Man with papers in his hand is shown walking into a room.
Summerside psychiatrist Dr. Arvind Singh, at right, was the focus of a 10-day hearing in front of a panel of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Prince Edward Island in 2022. That hearing involved a separate allegation of professional misconduct, and he was eventually cleared. (Brian Higgins/CBC)
A College of Physicians and Surgeons of P.E.I. committee has found a Summerside psychiatrist guilty of professional misconduct, after a hearing in late January.
The college says Dr. Arvind Singh engaged in “conduct or an act relevant to the practice of medicine that, having regard to the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by medical practitioners as unprofessional.”
The identities of three people complaining about Arvind’s behaviour, one of whom was a patient, was not revealed in documents filed on the regulatory body’s website.
An agreed statement of facts says that in May of 2021, Singh was meeting with a young patient and a parent. The patient became “extremely upset, crying, aggressive, and unable to be calmed down,” the document says.
READ THE DECISION: Notice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of P.E.I.
It goes on to say: “Dr. Singh accepted responsibility for failing to maintain a calm and controlled environment and failing to use appropriate techniques to de-escalate the situation with [the patient] and acknowledges physical contact between Dr. Singh and [the patient].”
Without drawing conclusions about the source, the statement of facts notes that a nurse later noticed bruising on the inside of the patient’s arm.
Restrictions on practice
Singh has been ordered to pay $9,000 towards the college’s costs in dealing with the case.
He must also refrain from meeting with patients under the age of 18 unless a parent or guardian is present.
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P.E.I. psychiatrist cleared of all misconduct allegations
A peer reviewer is being appointed by the college registrar at Singh’s expense to go through the charts of “up to 30” of his past patients in that age group. The same reviewer will look at other aspects of Singh’s pediatric practice for the last two years.
If the peer reviewer finds no areas of concern, Singh will eventually be able to resume his practice with no conditions.
Two past decisions
Photo of man.
Dr. Arvind Singh will have to pay $9,000 towards costs incurred by the regulatory body after an allegation of professional misconduct in May 2021 was found to have merit in January of this year. (Facebook)
Singh has been licensed to practise on Prince Edward Island since September 2005.
He has faced two past disciplinary procedures.
A written decision by the college in September 2022 cleared him of wrongdoing in the care of Laurel Hurst, a woman with advanced Huntington’s disease.
A year earlier, Singh received a written reprimand from the college after being found to have committed professional misconduct, after he was charged with breaching the Income Tax Act.
Summerside psychiatrist fined $215K for tax evasion
He later pleaded guilty to two charges and fined $215,539 for personal and corporate tax evasion, as well as having to repay that same amount in back taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency, plus interest and penalties.
Singh was ordered to take “an individualized course in medical ethics satisfactory to the college, at his own expense,” with regard to the 2021 reprimand.