Background
Doctors who had prescribed "fentanyl patches," a medical narcotic analgesic, were reported for violations of the Narcotics Control Act. It emerged that some patients had presented false identities, feigned pain requiring treatment to obtain the patches, and then used them illegally. The doctors suddenly faced being cast as narcotics offenders.
What Was at Stake
The issue was whether the doctors had prescribed "for treatment purposes" or had prescribed knowing of the illegal use. Since the prescriptions themselves were a matter of fact, the key was how to prove that there had been "no purpose other than treatment."
How Changchun Helped
Changchun analyzed the medical records closely and identified the circumstances showing that the doctors had judged non-narcotic analgesics ineffective and prescribed for treatment purposes, together with records of their explaining the side effects and risks of long-term use to the patients. We also proved that the patients had actively deceived the doctors, going so far as to present photographs of prescriptions from other hospitals.
The police accepted this and issued a decision of non-referral for no case to answer. The case shows that for a doctor deceived by a patient to escape criminal responsibility, an objective showing through the records and circumstances at the time of treatment matters. (Outcomes depend on the facts of each case and may differ.)