Son of KKH victim of medication error disputes reports in the state media
Written by our Correspondent
The son of one of the victims of the medication blunder at KKH Mr Ng Chun Kiat had spoken out against some of the factual inaccuracies in reports carried by the state media about the case!
Mr Ng, who is a son of Madam Ng L.K. started a blog 15 November 2009, 10 days after the incident took place not only “to seek redress but also to raise public awareness about what’s happening, which may not be as transparent as it seems.”
Madam Ng, a cancer patient was given the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin in a few hours instead of days. The other patient, Madam Poh, was infused with more than 5 times the dosage of 5-Fluorouracil and is not out of danger yet.
Mr Ng took issue with the unprofessional conduct of the pharmacists after they were alerted to the error and the fact that they have yet to apologize to his mother:
“Upon seeing us discussing the obvious mistake made, the pharmacist stopped whatever she was doing and walked over to us, trying to explain things yet again. She then told us that my mum’s drug was not as potent as Mdm Ng’s and it was ok for us to head back home.
I was totally in “awe” by her statement. She then asked the two patients if we wanted to stay in hospital for further observations! I couldn’t just stand there and hear her crap, choosing to interrupt her immediately and saying “This is not a matter of us wanting to stay but rather you telling us that we have to stay for further observations and tests to make sure that everything is fine!”. She then replied “Then can I request that the patients stay over night?”.
We found out later (during an inquiry arranged 5 days after the incident!!!) that pharmacists have no right to say whether or not one should be fine to leave the hospital and this should only be addressed by doctors.”
He was also peeved that her mother was warded in a B2 ward and she had to pay first pending hospital investigations:
“The pharmacist then arranged for both my mum and Mdm Ng to be admitted into Ward B2 over night (A grave mistake committed by the hospital yet they are arranging for both victims to be staying in Ward B2) and requested for my sis and the son of Mdm Ng to follow her to the administrative counter to process the admission.
My sis then came back with a form requiring us to fill in the particulars for deduction of the stay in hospital. WE HAVE TO PAY TO STAY FOR THE MISTAKE MADE BY KKH?! Now tell me, if you were in the shoes of my family, how would you feel and what would you do? We were told that the payment will be made first by the patient before we can submit the claims!!! OMG!!!”
Mr Ng disputed the reports in the state media that KKH took the mistake seriously and was apologetic about it:
“We were told that the hospital takes this incident SERIOUSLY and is very APOLOGETIC about their mistake. Honestly, I beg to differ. Even when the incident happened, the rate at which a doctor came to my mum and Mdm Ng, mind you it was a run-on-the-mill doctor who wasn’t exactly sure of the effects etc, was appalling. The specialists weren’t even activated immediately to rectify the blunder, leaving the two patients and their extended family members to worry the night away.”
Only when one of his aunt leaked the story to a friend working in the media who got in touch with the medical affairs department requesting an interview with the victims did a senior doctor from KKH bother to give them an explanation, 5 days after the incident.
Such medication errors are not uncommon in Singapore’s public hospitals where junior doctors and nurses often work continuously for long hours without adequate rest.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan dismissed worker fatigue as a cause for the blunder and instead chose to lay the blame on the manufacturer for the “similarity” in the appearance of the two infusion pumps used to deliver chemotherapy drugs into the patients.
One is supposed to deliver it in the matter of days while the other in hours. The two pharmacists apparently got the two pumps mixed up.
Despite the severity of the error which could potentially have fatal consequences for the two patients, KKH has refused to issue a public apology so far.
The CEO of KKH, Prof Ivy Ng who is incidentally the wife of Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen had remained silent so far.
The state media tries to downplay the mistake by highlighting the “fact” that doxorubicin which was the drug given to Mrs Ng, can be infused over 15 minutes.
Mr Ng questioned the accuracy of the report:
“After reading several reports, I realised that Mrs Yip(Mdm Ng’s) drug was always mentioned to the public (5-fluorouracil) but as for my mum’s case, it’s just a brief statement saying the drug given can actually be done in 15 minutes.
During the inquiry, senior medical oncologist Dr Soh Lay Tin even “assured” us that “it’s ok” to have it injected in 6 minutes.
To me, the infusion clearly exceeded the prescription given by doctor. So how can that be ok?! How true is the above statement?”
The Temasek Review has conducted an email interview with Mr Ng Chun Kiat to shed more light on the incident and raise public awareness about it.
Read Mr Ng’s blog here
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sgcynic on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 9:55 am
Why was the potential risk of mix-up from having two similar looking pumps not flagged earlier? Everyone “doing their job” and cruising along?
Old Guy on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 10:24 am
bad mistake !!
somebody MUST pay !!
For Goodness Sake Say Sorry Lah on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 10:28 am
The elites will never apologise for whatever mistakes made, honest or otherwise. They are very good at pushing the blame either to the lower rung or to machines and tools.
The saying goes, “A bad workman always blame his tools” applies here.
What kind of leaders do we have? Why is it so difficult to say “Sorry”?
ErniesUrn on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 10:32 am
If it is indeed ‘worker fatique’ as claimed by Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, then I guess it’s not a good idea to ward yourselves into KKH.
One sleepy nurse/pharmacist/doctor can cause you your life! Not even the Health Minister will stand by your family if something happens to you!
DON’T GO TO KKH!
True Singaporean on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 10:59 am
The so called privatized hospitals in Singapore is a big joke in Singapore.Especially if you are warded in the so called subsidized wards.I can relate to horrendous incidents personally.Particular culprits are the nurses from China though the Filipino nurses are much better.By comparison our local nurses are really angels.I would reckon the difference in their service attitude is the net result of their behaviours back in their homelands.
I had been hospitalized a few times.There were number of times over a period my blood pressure was taken by China’s nurses by merely pressing only their thumbs on my wrist.Only when the matter was brougt to the attention of local matron did it stop.Then there were times medication to be taken within hours was late as much as 18 hours and there were times when medications were administered double by two different nurses over an hour.It simply boils down to caveat emptor or buyers be aware.Now the question is how many patients who are sick and bed ridden are made knowns what is their treatment by their doctors? f.Even if they attempt to know they are mostly kept in dark.Simply because the doctor/patients relationship in Singapore stinks.Most doctors in our hospitals play gods and never discuss anything with their patients or their relatives.Even during their morning routines which starts from 8AM to 10AM..nothing is told.The patients can lie in their beds for as much as 10 days without knowing whats is going on…I had seen many illitrate elderly patients killing their time in bed in suspense only to be told discharged all of a sudden.
The moment you are warded up to 7 doctors would appear asking you the same questions again and again as if nothing about your condition ever recorded..Than the silent game begins with a morning routine of doctors only glancing at you and talking amongst themselves while you are kept totally in dark…I bet not letting the patient know their dignosis and their proposed treatment keeps them legally safe if there were any abuse.
I know of an incident when a 9 year old child was kept waiting for a time slot to an operating theatre for about 18 hours–without food and water.Not counting the waiting time in the emergency ward.Should a pending operation is delayed for more than a certain period it is usual for the patient to be administer a’drip’ of glucose so that the patient would not be weak at the operating table..And this happened to a child!.
It is not only at hospitalization level one’s nightmare begins.It begins at outpatient and emergency situation too..Just walk around any AE ward in any of our hospitals..You could see patients dripping blood all over the floor waiting for hours to be called..Why could not the trained nurses at the first counter who takes down ones blood pressure and etc administer a simple procedure of First Aid?…Then there were times it only took me 1 hour to seen the doctor in an AE but 3 hours for the nurse to give me the prescription and only when I asked !…Then I saw a infuriated man shouting loud at the Filipino pharmacist for keeping him waiting for more than two hours for his medication for he cannot afford to take taxi home and the last bus is at 11.45PM..The shock is it was only him and me in the que..Than the the Filipino pharmacist started to nit pick and began an argument for giving her a slightly torn prescription
.
The tales are too long to tell.Most patients suffer silently because they simply want to get well and go home…And our hospitals and their staff has all the luxury of time at the expenses of tax payers with no transparency.
reader on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 3:22 pm
Dear True Singaporean:
Thanks for sharing your stories with us. They are truly shocking indeed. And as we sit here, the costs of medical care continue to rise relentlessly.
Guess Singapore is a place where the poor and middle class really cannot afford to fall sick.
cy on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 4:27 pm
SPRING Singapore (previously the Productivity and Standards Board) awards KKH the coveted People Developer award
So, this is how KKH wins the award by not apologising for its mistake. Looks like these awards are crap.
Remember enron also received lots of awards but what happened?
Boo on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 5:04 pm
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Obviously, the hospital did not intend to taking this seriously….until it was leaked to the media. Absolutely scandalous. I wonder how many of such errors go unreported????
i don believe it on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 8:05 pm
local nurse also suck.
After an operation and I was to get down from bed for the first time, this local nurse was supposed to help me and make sure I don’t faint onto the floor due to low blood pressure.
You know what she did? she just asked, “you can do it on your own, rite? can right…?” without even coming close to me and hold on to me, when I clearly seemed giddy. she is same sex as me, so no issue of not touching the opp sex.
What make me fumed is she was more interested in the gifts and flowers I received. She even asked me who is the guy who visited me and send me a particular gift!!! Whether he is a doctor, and if yes, is he a doctor in that hospital!!!
WTF, I told her that is my cousin, Yes, he is a doctor but not a medical doctor. And he is happily married to a very beautiful and intelligent lady with a wonderful kid.
Shit! She was more interested in my handsome cousin than in me as a patient! And she is much older than me somemore! what a lau hiao!
forgetitlah on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 11:22 pm
the way ST wrote in the papers was like an episode from Dr House! so drama. they make it sound like it was the victims fortune that they were given the antidote and shld be grateful to KKH instead.
jolly on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 12:21 pm
i think there is actually some mismanagement in the hospital services so far although things looks good on the surface. we are running very high cost outfits in the name of good brandings in order to attract the rich from the region to come here for treatment. i think we can better service in hospitals from sabah or any third world hospitals. at least the staff put in genuine effort and service.
Jugglar on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 1:19 pm
Filippino doctors also suck. Seen two of them before and their english is so atrocious and they cannot even understand the difference between upper, middle and lower spine. So stupid. I can be a better doctor than them.
disgusted on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 2:04 pm
it seems to me that the so-called concern for Madam Ng seems to be more of a defence for those who have faulted, rather than to truly make-up for the mistake done. honestly, i feel that the KKH staff don’t really give a damn about the welfare of the patients, or at least Madam Ng and just hopes this case will tide over with their non-existent apology and regret.