Male nurse allegedly molests male patient at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital

SINGAPORE - A male nurse from a clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre is accused of molesting a male patient while he was recovering from a day procedure.

Ivan Lee Yi Wang, now 32, is said to have targeted the man twice on Oct 31, 2018 at the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Irrawaddy Road off Balestier. The specialist centre is located within the hospital.

The Singaporean faces two counts of molestation and claimed trial on Monday (Feb 22).

The 26-year-old alleged victim cannot be named due to a gag order.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stacey Anne Fernandez said that at the time of the alleged offences, Lee was a clinic nurse manager. His role involved  administrative duties including scheduling of appointments and assisting in dispensing medicines when patients were discharged .

The DPP told District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt: “The job scope of the accused never involved any physical contact or physical examination of patients at any time.”

Taking the stand on the first day of Lee’s trial, the alleged victim told Judge Chay that he went to the Gutcare clinic some time in either late September or early October 2018 as he had some “stomach issues”.

He met Lee for the first time there and the nurse registered his visit.

The court heard that the man visited the clinic for the second time in early October that year and did not think he interacted with Lee then.

But he added that Lee later used his personal mobile phone to send him a text message via WhatsApp on a follow-up appointment.

The man told the court that he felt it was “strange” that the message came from a personal number and did not reply to it. Instead, he called the clinic’s land line on the matter. 

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He went to the clinic for the third time on Oct 31, 2018, and saw Lee was wearing a white top and dark-coloured trousers. The man went through an endoscopy later that day at the hospital.

DPP Fernandez said that after the procedure, he was taken to the recovery ward in the hospital’s Endoscopy Centre.

She added: “(The man) will testify that during the time he was recovering in the ward, he had on the first instance been woken up when he felt (somebody touching his private parts).

“He also saw a flashlight from what looked like a mobile phone pointed towards his groin area. He managed to see a male person clad in white top and dark trousers. He turned his body and the stroking stopped.”

The court heard that the man was allegedly molested for the second time later that day. He then alerted the other nurses and told them what happened.

The DPP said: “The doctors to be called will testify that the accused had no reason to be in (the patient’s) room except for administrative matters including dispensing medication and assisting with the patient discharge.”

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Lee is represented by lawyers Peter Low and Christine Low. 

An online search of registered healthcare professionals in Singapore reveals that he is still a nurse who is now working at another facility.

Healthcare provider Parkway Pantai, which runs the hospital, told The Straits Times that Lee had been hired by the clinic independently and was not hospital staff.

Its spokesman added: “We are unable to comment further as the matter is before the courts.”

The trial continues. 

For each count of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.