Bad Health Service at Mount Elizabeth Hospital
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Is Mt Elizabeth hospital’s health services deserve its perceived standard as a private hospital?
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some additions after I received a few feedback:
1. i have made complaints to hospital the first thing but only received apology letter. the list of happenings continued becoz it is the way it is there.
2. we couldnt move mum to another hospital coz of her condition.
3. yes, someone in our family is familiar with medical/health practices and drugs.
4. yes, I have kept the evidences.
]
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 -
omg thats terrible.
I hope ur mum's okay now..
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I think there should be a correct place to complain right?
Like the some ministry or something?
this is life and death concern...
some actions should be taken... -
if they still did not bother.. try writing to ST forum. Then add this line.. why bother increasing medical cost when the standards of quality is reducing.
I can assure you that you will get a quick response. It is sad but some organizations wants you to make a big hoo-ha before they were "nice" enough to entertain you
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Government bodies in Singapore...... Why is it that in Singapore, there is no directions or good disemination of information to the public on who to approach for help or complaints...
I was referred to Singapore Medical Council by SPH. Then, i got the following reply:
Dear Ms Soo
The Singapore Medical Council is a statutory body and enpowered under
the
Medical Registration Act and cannot act beyond our statutory powers.
With
reference to your complaint, the Council determines and regulates the
conduct and ethics of registered medical practitioners and cannot deal
with
institutions and nurses which are covered by other laws and
administered by
other authorities.
However, to assist you, we have directed your complaint to the relevant
bodies.
We hope this clarifies.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Serene WONG
Manager (Legal / Education) < Singapore Medical Council
DID (65) 6372 **** | Fax (65) 6221 **** | Visit us at
http://www.smc.gov.sg
Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message.
If
you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender
immediately. -
hmmz apparently they did direct your complains to whoever is in charge just that they didn't say which agencies they are. let's see if they get back to you.
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Originally posted by Jeana:
if they still did not bother.. try writing to ST forum. Then add this line.. why bother increasing medical cost when the standards of quality is reducing.
I can assure you that you will get a quick response. It is sad but some organizations wants you to make a big hoo-ha before they were "nice" enough to entertain you
dey, this is Mount E we're talking about ....... not SGH or NUH here .... mount E is a private hospital ...
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I got a reply from SNB....:( they forwarded the thing back to the hospital!!!!they are doing something redundant. I already made complaints to the hospital so that they take note during my mum's stay in the hospital.I seriously wonder why i am working so hard to pay taxes and cpf here in Singapore .....:( :( :(
Dear Ms Soo
We refer to your feedback.
We have read your case and we are forwarding your feedback to the Nursing
Administrator, Mount Elizabeth Hospital for their attention. They will
look into the matter and reply to you directly.
Thank you.
All the best to your mom
Yours sincerely
Mrs Esther ***
Asst Executive Secretary -
Originally posted by Shandysoo:I got a reply from SNB....:( they forwarded the thing back to the hospital!!!!they are doing something redundant. I already made complaints to the hospital so that they take note during my mum's stay in the hospital.I seriously wonder why i am working so hard to pay taxes and cpf here in Singapore .....:( :( :(
Why you chose Mount E. in the 1st pace if you have to be working so hard to maintain it?
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This is a serious matter. You can bring this up to the media / press. Ask for proper legal advices to see if you can personally sue them.
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If you can get a lawyer to write a letter for you, it'll be very different story altogether.
On top of that, if you're sure of your stand. Make it a compensation or face sue case situation for them. But like I've said, weigh out your odds 1st with a lawyer or legal consult.
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ya.....let me quickly go check with any lawyers about this...I knew the media like sph didnt want to write anything on my behalf.
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Oh my.. I hope that ur mum is beta rite now..
I'm truely shocked & aghasted!!!
Coz i'm working as a nurse myself.. I've been to attachment to Mt A, govt hosp lik TTSH.. But i have never come across such neglience!!!!
This is truly too much & a lot of distress caused to family members..
I think they will only keep trying to cover up coz this has too much implication.. To give an overdosage, even to miss giving the drug is enough to cause a nurse to lose her job!!!
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You need a lot of evidence to prove criminal negligence.
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ya this is a country where ppl are waiting to be dead for organ donation.