How Can I Trust Public Healthcare Anymore?

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Source: The Real Singapore

HOW CAN I TRUST PUBLIC HEALTHCARE ANYMORE?
Post date: 3 Aug 2014 - 9:04pm



My father passed away suddenly on 16 March 2014 in SGH. He was initially diagnosed with liver cirrhosis but had completed a “successful” liver transplant in January 2014 and was recovering. We already made plans for rehabilitation and was ready to bring him home the following week. Unfortunately, he never made it and the explanation given by the hospital was unsatisfactory and not coherent with the actual events leading up to his passing.

Since he was admitted on 5 Jan 2014, there has been a surgical drainage inserted into him to help his body drain out excess fluid as he was not able to do so normally due to his health conditions. However, he was still recovering well until he contacted 2 new viruses in the 7th week post transplant. The dosage of medication was then increased significantly through IV. At the same time, his surgical drainage was removed even though he was still having an output of at least 500ml of fluid daily. The doctor assured us that it is time for his body to get used to the fluid which is very confusing as he started experiencing breathlessness almost immediately. The wound was stitched up, however, it also leaked quite a fair bit. Doctor still maintained that they will observe and if there’s a need be, they will insert another tube into him. No one mentioned that he was in a life threatening situation.

On 14 March 2014, one day after removing the drainage, close to 3 litres of fluid was also IV into him to prepare him for a procedure. That same night, after the intravenous drip and procedure, my father started showing symptoms of confusion, shortness of breath, perspiration. We asked for a doctor but apparently no doctors were available at 2am. When the on-call doctor finally arrived after 3am, I questioned her on the delay and she responded nonchalantly that there are also other very sick patients in the hospital. She then ordered a panadol for my dad and an x-ray and left.

After a long while, when my father's symptoms got worse, the registar in charge came and called for the ICU doctors assistance. They then deemed my dad to be acutely ill and requested to send him to ICU. In ICU, the doctors communicated that it appears to be fluid overload and that the appropriate remedy will be taken. However, my father then passed away due to pulmonary edema in the ICU a day later. It only took 3 days after the surgical drainage was removed, till he passed away.

We wrote a lengthy email to the hospital questioning the decisions and medical quality received. I had escalate this to SMC on numerous occasions and the only response received was to tell us to wait for the hospital's reply. The reply we received took 4 months and was largely dismissive, and that they did all they could. It was maddenning that the hospital claimed on the fateful night, that the on-call doctor did all the necessary checks on my father with a stethoscope but we were there the whole time and she only pressed on his abdomen twice, failing to examine his lungs. The time of medical care reflected in the official reply from the hospital were also inaccurate (i.e. saying that the on-call doctor only took 30 mins to come at about 2:45am, when we only saw the doctor after 3am which is more than one hour later).

My father battled ICU successfully 3 times previously. While I understood that the odds were against him, I believe there was a case of fluid overload and even malpractice thus causing pulmonary edema and death. I had enquired with lawyers and the general advice was to go through the ministries. A medical lawsuit is just too expensive.

Basically as a Singaporean who lost her father with many dubious points replied by the hospital, it appears that there are no other options.

For people with family members in hospital, please demand your rights when you have doubts. For us, I would always wonder, if only we had a second opinion when the surgical drainage was removed. If only, I screamed for someone more qualified to examine my father when he was breathless.

Would we had the opportunity to bring him home for Father's day instead?

Average Singaporean

TRS Contributor

End of article

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