Judge rules against family of dead corporal
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no flaming but i think the main complain is not the the doctor made a mistake in diagnosis but the wayy the doctor was described to have treated the deseased.Originally posted by nanren4ever:i may get flame for this, but I think the judge was right in giving the verdict against the family of the dead. If the family had won this case, I can assure u a whole lot new can of worms will be opened up. This will be a landmark case, as people who has relatives who die of the same circumstances or almost similar to the case will start suing the hospitals, creating unnecssary pressure on doctors/nurses. I mean, their job is already too stressful, and if add to the fact that 1 wrong dignosis may cause them 2 be sue, who would want 2 be in the medical profession anymorE? -
2003 if i remember correctly.Originally posted by cornyfish2000:Wah, another super freak case.. Cos donor organs or blood aren't screened for dengue virus. Who would have imagined...
Btw when did this incident happen?
it was reported in today's New Paper. -
i wonder if you would still think that way if a member of your family were the victim.Originally posted by nanren4ever:i may get flame for this, but I think the judge was right in giving the verdict against the family of the dead. If the family had won this case, I can assure u a whole lot new can of worms will be opened up. This will be a landmark case, as people who has relatives who die of the same circumstances or almost similar to the case will start suing the hospitals, creating unnecssary pressure on doctors/nurses. I mean, their job is already too stressful, and if add to the fact that 1 wrong dignosis may cause them 2 be sue, who would want 2 be in the medical profession anymorE?
i think Cpl Chua died primarily because of prejudice and not because the doctor was too busy. That doctor believed that he was malingering and refused to treat him seriously. -
Case history.
Family sues NUH, 6 doctors
By K.C. Vijayan
THE family of a dead full-time national serviceman is suing six doctors and the National University Hospital (NUH), alleging that their negligence led to his dying two days after he was admitted for a pain in the right leg.
Two NUH doctors accused Corporal Chua of malingering "to avoid his army training".
The six include a consultant surgeon and an orthopaedic specialist who attended to 23-year-old Chua Ya Ta in June, 2001.
The dead man's parents, carpenter Chua Seow Cheong and housewife Tan Hong Eng, both in their early 50s, and his sole surviving brother, Ya Lin, 21, are behind the suit, which was filed in the Subordinate Courts late last month.
A spokesman for the family's lawyers, Oei and Charles, said that the firm is in the process of serving the suit.
Corporal Chua, who was a tank driver in the army, saw the doctor at his camp on June 15, 2001, when his leg started hurting, and was advised to go to hospital.
TWO YEARS AGO...
• June 15: Army doctor refers Cpl Chua Ya Ta to hospital as his leg hurts. He is admitted to NUH after a second visit.
• June 17: He has breathing difficulties; his condition worsens. He dies of an acute bacterial infection.
At NUH, he received treatment and was sent home.
But less than three hours later, he returned to the hospital complaining of pain and a fever that came and went, and was admitted.
In the next two days, despite suffering from the pain, he was accused by two of the doctors of malingering 'to avoid his army training'.
In fact, the morning after he was admitted, his girlfriend, IT administrator Gladys Seow, also 23 then, was told by a nurse that the hospital wanted to discharge Cpl Chua and was handed a bill for the medical charges.
He was not discharged as by then, he had difficulties standing without assistance.
At about noon, he fainted in the hospital toilet while showering.
There was also blood in his stool.
His condition worsened and at about 3pm the day after, he was given oxygen because he had difficulty breathing.
By this time, his fingers, toes and face had also turned slightly blue.
Distressed, his uncle, businessman Chua Kok Poon, who was visiting his nephew then, asked that he be transferred to another hospital.
At about 5pm, he received a note from a doctor assuring him that Cpl Chua was in stable condition and not in 'clinical danger'.
He was later transferred to the intensive care unit, where he died at 11.10pm of an acute bacterial infection.
The suit alleges that NUH doctors failed to take sufficient steps to diagnose the infection and prescribe early treatment.
Contacted on Thursday, an NUH spokesman said that the hospital had referred the case to the coroner in 2001 and had cooperated fully in the investigation.
She added that the hospital has always kept the lines of communication with the family open.
'We also offered them grief counselling, as well as our fullest assistance whenever appropriate,' she said. -
seems like we need to re-highlight this to either ST. forum or the new paper...
civil suit must continue!
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previous printed ST FORUM.
ST Forums
31 Oct 2003
Doctors too quick in suspecting NSman of malingering
I REFER to the article, 'Family sues NUH, 6 doctors' (ST, Oct 25),
and the letter, 'NSman died of rare infection with high mortality
rate' (ST, Oct 29), by the National Healthcare Group's Ms Tong Yoke
Tho.
I understand where Ms Tong is coming from. I accept the coroner's
finding that Mr Chua Ya Ta had died from a rare infection with a
reported mortality rate of up to 80-100 per cent.
However, the point that concerns me the most is that the doctors
attending to Mr Chua accused him of malingering. They might have been
baffled by his condition but, as medical professionals, should they
not have given their patient the benefit of the doubt?
I understand that doctors do encounter malingerers and they would be
better off helping patients who needed their attention.
However, Singaporeans entrust the lives of their loved ones to the
care of doctors every day. Surely, brushing off an NSman's complaint
as malingering would be deemed irresponsible? This is especially so
in Mr Chua's case.
While it is not up to me to determine if there had been medical
negligence, I hope that doctors understand the great responsibilities
that are placed in their hands.
Having said that, as an individual with a medical history, I must say
that most of the doctors whom I have encountered have been thoroughly
professional and competent.
ALEX YEO SHENG CHYE
but we need to re-highlight this again...in ST. forum. -
The donor died from DHF?Originally posted by dragg:another case mentioned today.
2 dialysis patients underwent kidney transplants operations but died. the donor's kidney was infected with dengue fever.
the court ruled misadventure.
they could have been alive, abeit sick with kidney problems. haiz... the transplant actually led to their demise.
how unfortunate!!! -
i think he or she died in an accident but was having high fever at that time.Originally posted by iveco:The donor died from DHF?
funny right? -
It certainly is.Originally posted by dragg:i think he or she died in an accident but was having high fever at that time.
funny right?
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Hmm.. if the donor was having high fever just before he died, if i were the doc, i'd be extra cautious when harvesting his kidneys.. should at least try to exclude infectious causes first. Not sure what the protocol is..Originally posted by dragg:i think he or she died in an accident but was having high fever at that time.
funny right? -
Be careful of what you advise...I also think that the doctor in this case must bear some responsibility but I don't think the family's legal case is strong enough to win in a civil suit. Remember that if you lose, yoy may have to pay legal costs of anything from 50k to 100k. For some people, that may mean losing their HDB flat or bankruptcy (and that has happened before).Originally posted by nightzip:seems like we need to re-highlight this to either ST. forum or the new paper...
civil suit must continue!
Better settle it out of court. -
Ya...should sue. Nothing wrong with suing. Good on them.
I think my main prob with the silly doctor is that he accused the victim of malingering. That is, i think, not conduct befitting a person in his profession. At the very least, he needs a good talking to so that he realizes the error of his ways. -
i extracted this from the straits times forum.
I READ with an awful feeling of deja vu the recent article on drug allergy which cost a young mother her life (ST, Oct 1
. I had a similar experience in 1997.
On that day, I went to my dental surgeon for root-canal treatment which lasted more than an hour. With due diligence, my surgeon asked if I had any drug allergy and I told him I had no history of adverse drug reaction. I was then prescribed a painkiller, Naproxen (Synflex).
Hours later, I took the Naproxen and, within minutes, swelling and rashes were visible from head to toe. I called the surgeon, who advised me to see him immediately. I rushed down and, to my surprise, found him waiting outside his clinic to usher me to a general practitioner a couple of doors away.
I was given an anti-histamine jab and my blood pressure was monitored. My dental surgeon then took me to his clinic and I was asked to rest in his dental chair for further observation.
Not long after, I experienced difficulty in breathing and felt very faint. Sensing my distress, the surgeon took the unusual step of taking me to hospital personally. To ensure that I was adequately taken care of, the dental assistant went along.
At the hospital, my blood pressure dropped drastically and I went into shock. Nursing staff, internal-medicine specialist, dermatologist and pharmacist surrounded me and I was assured that they would do their best to save me.
I was hospitalised for nearly a week and, during this trying period, my surgeon and his wife never failed to visit me.
I survived the ordeal and to this day I am grateful to my dental surgeon, Dr Pang Chin Heng of Pang & Ng Dental Clinic, for his dedication and alertness, and for going the extra mile to ensure my recovery and comfort.
Special thanks also go to the medical experts, namely Dr Chew Choi Noi and her staff, whose professionalism and experience saved the day.
My advice? Never dismiss any drug allergy; it can kill.
Esther Wong Choon Kim -
the above account really gave me the creeps.
i had root canal treatment just last thurs. -
the family of the donor was shocked to learned of the inquiry into their mother's dengue condition.
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If this is America, both NUH and Mindef will be sued for this tragedy caused by general negligence, unprofessionalism, and insensitivities of the doctor/s involved.
Can any single doctor in Singapore, ascertain that a patient is Malingering?? Can a person, fake a fever?
I feel that the death of Cpl Chua, is a direct result of sheer negligence. A doctor's duty and expertise, should be to diagnose and save lives. NOT to pass judgement on patients to be Malingering.
Right now, it shows that Cpl Chua wasn't Malingering and has died from his illness. This cannot be reversed. But if the doctor/s involved had been more professional, they could have given the young man the benefit of a doubt, and treated him to ensure that death, don't come knocking at his door. If indeed Cpl Chua was Malingering, he could then be charged accordingly. But no, he wasn't, and he died all because Regulatory Red-tapes were upheld and preserved.
It appears sorely apparent, that government rules & regulations are given more priority than one mere young life.
Hereafter this incident, what the HELL are the authorities going to do in preventing such stupidity?? Can I safely assume that if I have a son, he won't be denied proper medical attention because he is a soldier?? Will doctors be better trained to differentiate Malingering from a real medical condition??
Frankly, I DON'T KNOW!!!
Do you all???? -
I guess young people about to do national service will have to be educated on how to stand up for their rights, even if it means getting parents, MPs or the media involved, to hell with red tape or chain of command. I was accused of malingering when I was doing my NS, but I stood up for my rights and eventually proved my case and the army paid for my expensive medical tests. It was a pain going through several medical boards though. Thankfully I was never in any life-threatening situations. Another friend of mine did get his MP involved, and managed to get his MO's earlier report overturned. He had spinal injuries and they wanted to send him for re-course BMT! Madness!
MPs are very well paid, make them earn it.
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me and my family is getting a bit paranoid after the drug allergy case.
you just never know. -
If Lt-Gen Ng falls sick, will he go see MO? or go see professional medical practitioners?
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would Lt-Gen Ng be accused of malingering?
see? that's the difference. -
do you realise that there is a law that say you can't seek outside help? i read it b4 in the military law but of course they dun normally pull its out since the MP is involved and they dun like bad press and don't wanna cross pple in powerOriginally posted by av98m:I guess young people about to do national service will have to be educated on how to stand up for their rights, even if it means getting parents, MPs or the media involved, to hell with red tape or chain of command. I was accused of malingering when I was doing my NS, but I stood up for my rights and eventually proved my case and the army paid for my expensive medical tests. It was a pain going through several medical boards though. Thankfully I was never in any life-threatening situations. Another friend of mine did get his MP involved, and managed to get his MO's earlier report overturned. He had spinal injuries and they wanted to send him for re-course BMT! Madness!
MPs are very well paid, make them earn it. -
Yes, my friend knew about the regulations against going outside the joke known as the "chain of command". He decided he'd rather risk getting charged than risk permanent paralysis or death. In his case the gamble paid off. The CO and MO were hopping mad and threatened to charge him but thankfully never followed through on their threats. Don't let yourself or your loved ones be bullied by the SAF, especially when lives are at stake. Of course, if your MP happens to be a bastard and refuses to help, then you're royally screwed. Female MPs are more likely to be sympathetic
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his doctor is probably the medical chief.Originally posted by bila_prem:If Lt-Gen Ng falls sick, will he go see MO? or go see professional medical practitioners? -
He probably can afford treatment at Gleneagles.Originally posted by bila_prem:If Lt-Gen Ng falls sick, will he go see MO? or go see professional medical practitioners?