THE TEMASEK REVIEW

Background:

On 6 November 2009, two cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at Singapore’s Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KKH) was given an overdose of the drugs. One of them is Madam Ng L. K who received doxorubicin over a few hours instead of days. Madam Ng’s son, Mr Ng Chun Kiat, had started a blog to raise public awareness of what really happened which is quite different from what was reported in the mainstream media.

We manage to catch up with Mr Ng to find out more about the case via email:

 

Temasek Review:

After the mistake was discovered by your mother, she was told to go home by the pharmacists and not by the doctors as is the usual practice? Did any doctors explain to your mother what happen? Who is the consultant in charge of your mother?

Chun Kiat:

Yes, it was the pharmacist who told us that it was OK for my mum to go home. The only explanation offered by the pharmacist was that the drug my mum was taking for her chemotherapy was not as potent as Mdm Ng’s, and that some people who have had the same chemo drug as my mum had it infused in 15 minutes.

The only doctor who attended to us that very night was the junior doctor on duty who could only assure us that the necessary tests have been arranged and various doctors have been notified of the situation. He commented that he was in no position to offer us further information or explanation as that was not his specialty.

During her previous stay, her principal doctor was Dr. Chia Yin Ning and her chemotherapy doctor is Dr. Soh Lay Tin.

 
Temasek Review:

It was only after your request for your mother to stay overnight in hospital for observation that the pharmacist relented, is that correct? She initially wanted to send your mother home?

Chun Kiat:

It wasn’t exactly a request on my part. I voiced out that it shouldn’t be a case of the victims wanting to stay in hospital but rather the professionals advising us to do so immediately since effects etc were not know yet. Again, the pharmacist told us it was okay if my mum went home.

 

Temasek Review:

KKH arranged only for your mum to stay in B2 and you had to pay a down payment first? It was reported in the papers that the hospitalization bill was waived by the hospital?

Chun Kiat:

There were no initial arrangements made by the hospital. We were only instructed to do the necessary paperwork for admission, which included the down payment.
My mum was then asked to choose the ward class and bed to stay in. She selected the B2 ward as there was no assurance of any compensation or cover of the hospitalisation fees and it was also the same ward she had previously stayed.

After explaining the incident to the assistant (clerk?) arranging the admission arrangements, she replied that we’d actually have to make the payment first while the hospital does the investigations before we can get the claim.

As the payment required my father’s signature and IC for the medisave payment to be processed, we held on to the form for the next few days as we felt it was really unnecessary that we had to take responsibility to pay for the admission which was a blatant negligence on the hospital’s part.

Not a single staff came to offer the waiver of the hospitalisation charges until my aunt made the request only a few days later.

 

Temasek Review:

How long did you wait in the ward before a doctor attend to your mother? Is he/she a house officer, medical officer or registrar on call?

Chun Kiat:

We reached the hospital at early 10pm and if I’m not wrong, the doctor came around 12 plus or past 1am. He’s the junior doctor on duty. However, note that from the time we got in the ward, there had been several doctors gathered at the nurses’ station, which is very conveniently located right outside the ward.

If this had been seriously regarded by the hospital, why wasn’t there any urgency in the doctors to assess my mum or to examine her right there and then? Instead, we were told they had to retrieve my mother’s case file before any action could be done.

 

Temasek Review:

KKH only gave you an official explanation after 5 days? You mean no senior figures spoke to you during this period of time?

Chun Kiat:

KKH arranged for an inquiry to answer our concerns and uncertainties after 5 days. I suspect that they only did so as they received an email from the media asking for coverage on the 4th day.

It was at the inquiry when we finally got to speak to senior figures. Run-on-the mill doctors and nurses came and went, often just telling my mum her blood test was fine etc. Some did mention it was due to overdose, others said it was fine with regards to the dosage when we questioned them about my mum’s status and condition.

 

Temasek Review:

Did KKH offer your mother an official apology?

Chun Kiat:

I would suppose the official verbal apology was made during the inquiry on the 11th of November 2009. Official in terms of black and white, none.

 

Temasek Review:

Did KKH offer to compensate your mother for the pain and distress she has been through?

Chun Kiat:

Pain and distress, no. They only mentioned during the inquiry that they will waive off all the charges incurred during this period of stay and waive off my mum’s fourth session of chemotherapy (total of 6 sessions).

Also, they claimed that they will only take responsibility, should my mum’s heart fail in future due to the effects of the drug, doxorubicin, and this could be tested with post-mortem.

 

Temasek Review:

Are you considering taking legal action against KKH?

Chun Kiat:

We are definitely considering.

We thank Mr Ng Chun Kiat for agreeing to this email interview and we wish his mother a speedy recovery.

Read Mr Ng’s blog here

 

Related articles:

>> Son of KKH victim of medication error disputes reports in state media

>> KKH medication error: Khaw dismissed worker fatigue as cause

>> Was medication error at KKH caused by fatigue?

>> KKH CEO Prof Ivy Ng yet to apologize for drug blunder

 

 

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