Two Reported Cases - SGH & Mount Elizabeth
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Has the high health cost led to the shortage of staff in hospital or employment of less qualified or insufficiently trained staff ?
The article in the link to the health discussion forum in channelnewsasia says that "My mum was hospitalized recently due to dengue and to our horror, we discover for ourselves the quality of the Mount Elizabeth hospitalization service which would have killed her if we had not been cautious."
The url link is http://forum.channelnewsasia.com/viewtopic.php?t=127972
My mum was hospitalized recently due to dengue and to our horror, we discover for ourselves the quality of the Mount Elizabeth hospitalization service which would have killed her if we had not been cautious.
On the 3rd and 4th day of hospitalization from high fever, my mum's condition became worse. This was when we had the horrific experience from the hospital staff. Each time I returned to the hospital, I discover that my mum was not being monitored for her condition. The nurses were not aware whether my mum has taken her meal and medication or that she was having diarrhea. They were also unaware of her pains or complications arising from the dengue fever complications.
My mum was weak and semi-conscious from high fever initially and her condition got very much worse. She was barely able to speak and was unconscious most of the time. We saw that the nurses were unaware of her conditions, did not chart her progress, and did not check on her. My mum would have died as she was a case of dengue fever with complications. Patients with her similar conditions had died. If not for our own efforts to monitor her, we would have lost her to the hospital service which we were willing to pay dearly for.
When my mum was having diarrhea and I returned to the hospital to discover that myself, I asked my mum what happened and she mumbled in her weak condition that the nurses only took her to the toilet and left her there after she rang the bell. My mum had to clean herself every time in her weak condition. For information, my mum could hardly walk and was shaking badly.
My mum has existing high blood pressure and diabetics which she takes medication for. Upon the doctor's instruction, the nurses were to instruct us not to administer my mum any high blood pressure medication on 13 Nov 07 while no family were not around in hospital. The nurse did not check my mum's medication but asked my mum, who was semi-conscious to sort out the medication herself. I returned to the hospital a few hours later to find my mum taken the medication she was not supposed to take. She also has her pack of medications lying around her bed and has 'passed out' while trying to pack them. I looked at the medication and found that she has also packed aspirin which could have jeopardized her condition into her medication box. The next day, my mum's blood pressure dropped below the normal range due to the medication at 97/64.
On 15th Nov Thursday 9pm, my younger sister found the nurse giving my mum an overdose of medication as the previous administration had not been charted on my mum's patient records.
On 4 other occasions, the nurses forgot to administer my mum necessary medication until we rectified the situation. (*Once, her diabetic medication, twice her high blood pressure medication, and another her cough syrup)
On 21st Nov morning, mum asked a nurse to assist her to sit up in bed. The nurse rudely replied, " Auntie, I don’t have the strength to pull you up." she walked away and mum assumed she went out to ask for assistance. She did not return to help mum further.
20th Nov 8pm. my sister found that the diabetic medication is not administered at all even though the rest of the medication has been administered
18th Nov 10pm. Mum high blood pressure went up to 170/110. The nurse said she will call the doctor for advice but did not. I approached the nurse station and the nurse asked me to speak to the head nurse instead. The head nurse then called the doctor.
19th Nov 10am. Doctor came at 9.30 to see mum. She prescribed mum to resume her high blood medication atenolol. I passed our supply of atenolol to the nurse immediately. I approached the nurse station at 10am. The message had not been passed down to administer the medication.
On the day of admission at the A&E, the nurse (unknown name) who took my mum's blood for testing spilled blood over the floor. Her method for drawing blood is unnecessarily painful as described by my mum.
During my mum's hospitalization, a Philippine nurse came to take my mum's blood for tests daily. I witnessed her as very clumsy. She poked my mum 3 times on the second morning, once on her elbow and shifting the needle around under her skin, another on the back of her hand and another near her wrist. The then decided to draw blood from my mum's finger. During the 4 days which I were aware of her taking blood, she dropped the cap of the tube on the floor, always forgetting and reaching for things from the trolley, and I had to hold the cotton over my mum's wound every time. Worst of all, blood never failed to spill over the floor and bed sheets. My mum would wince with unnecessary pain during her lengthy process.
On 16 Nov 07 afternoon, I found some plastic wrap drenched in carrot sauce in the lunch served to mum. My mum has false teeth and could have swallowed and choked on the wrap given her condition at that time. For information, we asked for soft food due to my mum’s condition.
One nurse (GW) came over one day at 3pm and ask my mum if she still needed a certain pink tablet medication called Nexium. My mum was in semi-conscious condition for some days and was not fully aware of the medication taken. Therefore, my mum did not understand what she said. So I asked the nurse what the drug was for, she said it is to aid digestion. I said my mum was not taking any drug to aid digestion. She then said it was for the bloated feeling on which I said again that the medication was in liquid form. She became frustrated and told me off saying she was asking my mum. My mum guessed and asked if it protected the stomach from the medication. GW then said yes. Since we said my mum has been eating some food and we did not know if she still needed the medication, GW said she would take the drug off. My sister later said that the drug was prescribed because my mum was having low platelet counts due to dengue and was prescribed the drug to protect the stomach from bleeding during food and medication.
The next day, GW forgot to administer cough syrup at dinner time and I went to ask for it at 8pm. She came in with the cough syrup and asked my mum how long the effect of the syrup usually last. Due to the last experience, GW refused to ask me who was there right then when I was in a better position being there at the hospital most of the time. She left immediately after my mum said she did not know.
On 20Nov 07 evening, the nurse forgot my mum's evening dosage of Glipizide, until my sister asked the nurse for it.
First and most important of all, the staff should be monitoring the conditions, not coming in to ask my mum only when she got better. This happened to be after we made complains to the hospital customer service of the happenings. This applied to everything from medication to my mum’s progress.
Secondly, my mum was in semi-conscious condition for the first week but GW insisted that my mum replied her questions. Her actions would have further complicate mum’s conditions and killed her. When GW decided for the doctor whether to administer the drug without understanding the purpose of the mediation, she almost caused internal bleeding in our mum. She also should not be randomly presuming what the medication was for. Medications were also often forgotten.
Thirdly, patients would have choked on foreign particles in their soft diet.
How unconcerned of the patients can it be at this private hospital?
If my mum had been alone, a spinster or widow with no children or maid to look after her, she would have died from negligence in Mount Elizabeth hospital and her death reasons covered up as dengue fever complications. No one would discover that she had diarrhea, painful bloating in her abdomen or choking due to bloating in her lungs. She would have died from overdose (cough), wrong administration (high blood pressure medication) and under administration (high blood, nexium, glipizide) of drugs.
Shandy SooThere is another case reported in ST Forum. The url link is http://www.straitstimes.com/ST+Forum/Online+Story/STIStory_223485.html
Family waiting for answers over dad's passingMY FATHER, Low Chye Lian, 71, was warded at Singapore General Hospital on March 3 after being referred to it by a polyclinic. The initial diagnosis was that he had an ulcer in his stomach and his liver was failing.He was treated and the doctors assured my family that my father could be discharged soon. But five days later, we were told he had to stay back after he came down with jaundice. On March 12, after the doctor drew out his stomach fluids for tests, his condition worsened. He started to vomit and had diarrhoea. He could not eat or drink and requested to see a doctor at 6pm. Even after pressing the emergency button several times, no doctor or staff nurse came to attend to his condition.
It took four hours and much pleading before the nurse gave him painkillers. The doctor arrived at about 10.35pm, but as he was not the doctor in charge of my father's case, he said he could not explain the reason for my father's worsening condition. He could only make arrangements for my father's doctor in charge to see him the next day. He assured me that my father would be all right.
At about 6.20 the next morning, we received a call from SGH to inform us that my father was sent to the Intensive Care Unit. When we reached the hospital, we were told that my father's heart stopped beating when a doctor was taking blood samples at 6am. A professor then informed us that my father had cancer which my family members were not told before. The professor had no answer as to why my father's condition suddenly worsened and told me that further investigations would be needed.
All we want is to know why my father died after spending 10 days in the hospital. According to the coroner, the cause of my father's death was a heart attack. Ten days before he died, he was normal, having just enjoyed his overseas holidays not too long ago. The hospital has not agreed to my family's request to meet and explain what happened. He died on March 13. We are still waiting for answers.
Low Chee Siong
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what are you trying to say?
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Do you have sympathy ?
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Alot of us layman Singaporean would not have realize the mistakes made by the health-care people. More often than not, the patient will be too weak to verbalize any mistakes made by nurses. It is therefore up to the family members to monitor the wellbeing of the patient, but how can you expect us the uninitiated to know?
It is lucky for Shandy's mother that she has a daughter who is vigilant and not take our 1st world healthcare system for granted.
It is a widely know fact that there is a shortage of people who wants to work in health care thereby the influx of Fts(no I am nt against Fts, as long as they are responsible caregivers).
I wonder what cancer MR lee have. Because after 10 days, after multiple blood tests,complains of pains, fluid tests and you can't detect CANCER, this is atrocious.
Imagine, nurses and doctors are the frontline of health care, and some of them are not up to it. Imagine what goes on BEHIND the scene, i do not know, and am not doubting the credibility of those working behind the scenes, but I am jus worried. Do you realize you can be a medical technlogist in a hospital jus by having a Bsc in ANY biological subjects, this is not acceptable in many developed countries.From what I observed in hospitals singapore, some of the nurses are just doing their job like a production worker would monitor some signs, draw some blood, draw multiple times, failed then draw again. Do they realize patient feel at all? Or they are just too numbed from stress?
For the rest of the healthy peeps... I say stay heathy, and try not going to hospital, cause it might be your first and your last.
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... I think in cases such as these, it pays to monitor your health and that of your immediate family's health status.
... identify at an earlier stage where you stand in contracting, or developing any form of disease, and or hereditary ailments...
... in short, educate yourself as much as you can or know how to, on Medicine, Diseases and their various symtpoms... this way, you lessen your chances of being duped, or "smoked" by INCOMPETENT government hospitals' doctors & staffs... the same applies for submitting your PC problems to unscrupulous service technicians - you risk being HAD..
... remember, Money Making are the public/private hospitals' objective, not Health Care....
... your health is your interest, take charge personally - not let others do so...
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My own personal experience is that we have to be proactive. We can't totally depend on or wait for the nurses or doctors. When patient's conditions worsen, inform the nurses and make sure that action is being taken quickly. If no action within half an hour, send reminders. Never wait passively. We also have the right to find out the course of action the hospital is taking for our loved ones. Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't be afraid to sound silly! If we take an active part in monitoring the treatment, the hospital wouldn't dare to slacken.
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