TRAGIC: (Left) - Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren.
Coroner slam army captain (right) over suicide of NSF under her command
'She was not even slightly curious'
Reports by NG JUN SEN
Private (Pte) Ganesh Pillay Magindren's supervising officer was "completely out of her depth" in dealing with his mental condition, the coroner said yesterday.
That was because Captain (Capt) Jessie Goh (right), then a lieutenant, did not try to find out how to manage the full-time nationai serviceman (NSF), who suffered from schizophrenia.
Pte Ganesh, 23, was found dead at the foot of his Sengkang condominium last July.
State Coroner-Imran Abdul Hamid said he had died from multiple injuries sustained from a deliberate fall from height, and he had known it would lead to his death.
The day before his death, Capt Goh had given him 14 charges of extra duties for not signing a log-book, reporting late for work and unsatisfactory work performance. (See report facing page.)
Mr Imran said: "(The punishment) is a daunting prospect even for soldiers without any mental issues.
"I agree With a previous witness who said Ganesh probably found it diffitult to stomach the fact that he was given 14 days of extra duties after being at the receiving end of so many."
OUT OF DEPTH
A stone-face Capt Goh sat in the public gallery. as the findings were read out in the State Courts.
She was the manpower officer at 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery and was directly in charge of Pte Ganesh when he was posted to the unit in November two years ago.
Pte Ganesh was assigned to clerical work as an administrative support assistant.
When he was posted there, she interviewed him and found out that he was depressed and had been seeing a private doctor. When she asked what kind of doctor he was seeing, he did not tell her and she did not probe further.
In fact, Pte Ganesh was seeing a psychiatrist regularly for schizophrenia.
She knew only that he had been given the Physical Employment Status (PES) E9L9, the second-lowest medical classification given to servicemen.
Her computer system did not state why he had been given that PES status and she did not try to find out.
She testified earlier that she had treated him just like any other soldier.
She found out about his schizophrenia only after his private psychiatrist, Dr Paul Ngui, informed her in a letter last April, five months after he was posted to the unit at Khatib Camp.
The letter said Pte Ganesh had "a vulnerable personality and should not be exposed to severe stress conditions".
But Capt Goh did not know what schizophrenia meant and testified that the letter was "generic and did not specify what should be done to manage Ganesh".
The law limits the purpose of the inquiry to establishing the facts of the case and not to find fault, but Mr Imran expressed his disappointment with Capt Goh's ignorance.
He noted that she was out of her depth and "severely lacked the curiosity in the only PES E soldier she was in charge of".
Capt Goh was supervising five other clerks at the time, but none of them had the PES E classification.
She told the inquiry earlier that while she was strict, she said she had given Pte Ganesh plenty of leeway and only the lightest punishment of extra duties.
She described their relationship as "friends", and would compliment his posts on Facebook and teach him how to iron and clean his clothes.
THEY DID NOT COMPLY
Mr Imran was also critical of the way information about Pte Ganesh's schizophrenia was handled.
He said: "This was a classic case of non-compliance."
According to an army directive, camps are supposed to keep a medical register of servicemen with psychiatric illnesses. But Khatib Camp did not, the coroner said. ·
Unit commanders who are in charge of servicemen with psychiatric problems would need to be informed by a letter from the Personnel Management Centre.
But Pte Ganesh's unit did not receive any such letter about his condition until a day before his death.
An earlier letter from Dr Ngui was given to the Medical Classification Centre at the Central Manpower Base in January last year.
A copy of the letter obtained by The New Paper contained details about his schizophrenia but it was not handed over to his unit.
Said Mr Imran: "This reveals the ignorance the unit had regarding the deceased's schizophrenia... Capt Goh was disadvantaged from the start by not being informed of his condition."
FATHER SHOCKED AT LAPSES
ARTIST: (Left) Private Ganesh Pilliay Magindren's father, Mr Renganathan (Inset) One of Pte Ganesh's sketches. PHOTOS: RENGANATHAN MAGINDREN
My son would have been a better man than me, said Private (Pte) Ganesh Pillay Magindren's father.
Art director Renganathan Magindren (right) had been grooming his son, who had schizophrenia, to become an outstanding artist.
He had so many plans but I told him (they could be fulfiiled) as long as he first went through army and built up his social skills with others," he said.
But in July last year, nine months after he enlisted in the army, Pte Ganesh (inset), 23, was found dead at the foot of his Sengkang condominium.
FAMILY BROKEN UP
Pte Ganesh was the eldest child in the family of five. He had a younger sister and brother.
Taking care of a schizophrenic child for 23 years was not easy, said Mr Magindren.
"I had to make sure he took his medicine every night, and would always have to check in on him, even while I was working. I had to do more than the usual," he said.
"But even then, he was a very well-behaved boy. He listened to me and shared the same interest in sketching as I did."
The former student at Lasalle College of the Arts had planned to do animation and scripting, though his days in the school were far from easy.
He was frequently bullied by his classmates, it was revealed in a coroner's inquiry into his death.
What made taking care of him more difficult for Mr Magindren was that his wife of 22 years was also mentally unwell.
"I took care of chores and made sure I didn't stress both of them out," he said.
"But now, my whole family is broken up in misery, especially my wife, whose sickness has deteriorated. Ganesh was her motivation to be happy."
I TRUSTED HER
The heavy burden of taking care of his schizophrenic son was lifted when then - Lieutenant Jessie Goh appeared.
"I thought that she understood (what my son needed). I was relieved because I saw that she wanted to help Ganesh. I trusted her," said Mr Magindren.
He was also assured by the fact that his son was given the second lowest Physical Employment Status (PES) of E9L9 because of his schizophrenia.
He said: "I thought it meant my son wouldn't be given a tough vocation, and won't be subject to regimentation."
He was horrified to hear of the "blunders" made by his son's officers during the course of the inquiry.
MY YOUNGER SON
His attention has now turned to his remaining two children, especially his 15-year-old son, as he would be enlisting in three years' time.
Said Mr Magindren: "He has asthma and I'm worried for him.
"When he enlists, I want to know everything. I want to know where he is posted, what he will be doing, everything.
"I believe in national service but my sons are not soldiers. We want assurance from the army that he will be safe."
OFFICER WANTED TO TEACH HIM TO LOOK AFTER HIMSELF
On the day of his death, Private (Pte) Ganesb Pillay Magindren had complained of headaches.
He was taken to his supervising officer, then-Lieutenant (Lt) Jessie Goh, who took him to the medical officer. He was given a day's medical certificate and told to go home.
Before he left, Lt Goh issued him an A4-sized notebook and told him to write five pages of things he had to do, such as bring detergent and shaving regularly, otherwise he would face disciplinary action.
The day before, she had given him 14 days of extra duties as punishment for not signing a logbook, reporting late for work and unsatisfactory work performance.
She testified earlier that she thought he was "a sloppy person" as he did not know how to take care of himself.
She thought it was because he was still "adapting to military life" and used the extra duties to teach him how to look after himself.
Pte Ganesh arrived home at around 2pm, according to closed-circuit television footage at his Sengkang condominium.
He sent a text message to Lt Goh that read: "What do you want me to do?"
She replied: "Is this how you talk to a superior?"
After he apologised and told her he was home, she told him to "stick to your yellow book of instructions".
He replied: "Can."
These were the only messages found in Pte Ganesh's mobile phone by police investigators.
His younger brother was at home when he returned. At 4.30pm, he saw Pte Ganesh sitting on the edge of his bed, shoulders slumped, deep in thought.
His brother left the unit at 4.45pm. Pte Ganesh's body was found at the foot of the condominium by a delivery man half an hour later.
Mindef's statement
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) will study the State Coroner's findings carefully to improve and tighten its procedures to ensure better compliance by Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) units in dealing with soldiers with mental problems, its director of public affairs, Colonel Kenneth Liow, said yesterday.
He added that Mindef and the SAF have extended their deepest sympathies to Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren's fmaily for their loss.
Apart from the Funeral Grant and the SAF Benevolent Grant that were extended to the family immediately after his death, the SAF will continue to support his family with financial and other assistance.
HELPLINES
Samaritans of Singapore
1800-221-4444
Singapore Association for Mental Health
1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health's Mobile Crisis Service
6389-2222
Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin)
1800-353-5800
News, The New Paper, Wednesday, April 9 2014, Pg 2-3
My brother was not his normal self after enlistment. For many years my family suffered with his imaginery thoughts, hostilities. He snapped one fateful night.
More can be done to monitor and support national servicemen with mental health issues, according to two experts who used to work with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
These include fighting the stigma attached to such illnesses, raising awareness about mental health and having more in-camp psychiatrists.
Earlier this week, State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid delivered his findings on the death of Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren, who was found at the foot of his Sengkang condominium last July.
The 23-year-old had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which distorts a person's thoughts and emotions, causing him to lose touch with reality.
A Coroner's Inquiry into a full-time national serviceman's suicide last July found that his army unit had lapses in managing his schizophrenia.
Presenting his findings on Tuesday, State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid said that its medical centre was supposed to maintain a psychiatric register of all its soldiers.
But a year after Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren's death, such a register is still not being maintained, he said.
Pte Ganesh, 23, was found dead at the foot of his Sengkang condominium last July and Mr Imran found that he had killed himself by jumping from height.
The coroner highlighted how such lapses in handling mentally ill NSFs may be more widespread than thought.
On Wednesday, The New Paper obtained a copy of his written judgment in which he raised several concerns.
PROTOCOL NOT FOLLOWED
According to an army directive, camps are supposed to keep a medical register of NSFs with psychiatric illnesses.
But Khatib Camp, where Pte Ganesh was posted, did not, said the coroner.
The unit's medical officer at the time, Dr Mogilan Mohan, had claimed that his seniors and the psychiatrist in the SAF told him there was no instruction to maintain the register, Mr Imran added.
The coroner said on Tuesday that he had asked the counsel for the Ministry of Defence, Ms Asanthi, whether the directive has been adhered to since then.
Noting that Ms Asanthi had replied in the negative, he said: "There is still no compliance 'on the ground' despite what had happened. This was a classic case of non-compliance."
LACK OF INFORMATION
Mr Imran was also critical of the way information about Pte Ganesh's schizophrenia was managed.
Unit commanders who are in charge of NSFs with psychiatric problems needed to be informed by a letter from the Personnel Management Centre (PMC).
But Pte Ganesh's unit did not receive any letter from the PMC about his condition until a day before his death in last July. He had been posted to the unit in November 2012.
An earlier letter from his private psychiatrist, Dr Paul Ngui, was given to the Medical Classification Centre at the Central Manpower Base in January last year.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New Paper, contained details about his schizophrenia, but it had not been handed over to his unit either.
LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Dr Mogilan was also not informed by the medical officer of Kranji Camp, Pte Ganesh's previous posting, of his condition, the coroner said.
Dr Mogilan found out about Pte Ganesh's condition only on Nov 29, 2012, after the latter reported sick.
But he did not pass the information to Pte Ganesh's immediate superior, Captain Jessie Goh, Mr Imran said.
"Although (Dr Mogilan) could not confirm if Capt Goh was aware of this information, he took it on faith that she was," he said.
As a result, Capt Goh found out about Pte Ganesh's schizophrenia only after Pte Ganesh's private psychiatrist informed her in an letter last April - five months after he began working under her.
Mr Imran said: "The fact that the officers within the unit were not in the habit of checking in with each other exacerbated the extent of the ignorance of (Pte Ganesh's) psychiatric condition."
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
Capt Goh did not try to find out how to manage a full-time national serviceman (NSF) with schizophrenia, the coroner said.
She knew only that he had been given the Physical Employment Status (PES) E9L9, the second-lowest medical classification given to servicemen.
Her computer system did not state why he had been given that PES status and she did not try to find out.
The day before Pte Ganesh's death, Capt Goh had given him 14 charges of extra duties for not signing a logbook, reporting late for work and unsatisfactory work performance.
Mr Imran said: "(The punishment) is a daunting prospect even for most soldiers who have no psychiatric issues.
"I therefore remain unconvinced that the punishment... just a day before the fatal fall had absolutely nothing to do with why he chose to deliberately fall from a height, though it may not be the only cause."
There is still no compliance 'on the ground' despite what had happened.
State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid noting that Khatib Camp still did not keep a medical register of NSFs with psychiatric illnesses, months after Pte Ganesh's death.
This article was published on April 12 in The New Paper.
SINGAPORE - The father of Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren said he had been assured by medical officers that his son would be taken care of during national service.
That is why he did not ask for the 23-year-old to be exempted from serving.
Art director Renganathan Magindren told The Straits Times that his son was diagnosed as "stable" by the Defence Ministry's doctors, who also said there was a support system to take care of Pte Ganesh.
His son's supervising officer at the 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery, Captain Jessie Goh, also seemed like a "caring, obliging person", added the 54-year-old.
The two would at times text each other about how Pte Ganesh was doing, explained Mr Magindren, saying he also wanted his son to do his national duty.
"Of course I was worried about Ganesh, but I also thought it would be easier for him to find a job in the future if he has an NS certificate."
His son had seemed fine throughout his Basic Military Training and his time at the unit. So it came as a shock that Pte Ganesh decided to take his own life last July.
He was a well-behaved and ambitious boy, said Mr Magindren, who has two younger children.
He recalled how his son took an interest in drawing at a young age, and went on to study digital animation at ITE MacPherson. Pte Ganesh wanted to further his education at a polytechnic, but did not qualify.
"He was so talented, and I saw great potential in him," said Mr Magindren, who tried appealing to each polytechnic here.
The rejection came as a huge blow for Pte Ganesh, who had plans to enter university and study art.
"That was when he became withdrawn and depressed. He felt like everyone rejected him," said Mr Magindren.
Pte Ganesh eventually got a place at the LaSalle College of the Arts where he earned a diploma in animation art. But he did not get along with his peers, who were mostly international students.
It was just before his graduation that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, at the age of 20. His psychiatrist, Dr Paul Ngui, had expressed hope of recovery as the ailment had been detected early, Mr Magindren said.
But now with Pte Ganesh's sudden passing, his family is "all broken up" and grieving. Mr Magindren, who is seeing a psychiatrist now, said he has been getting support from his sister and church.
"I still cry sometimes when I think of him, but I have to take care of my family, especially my younger son who will enlist soon. I will protect him."
Helplines
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health's Mobile Crisis Service: 6389-2222
Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
This article was published on April 12 in The Straits Times.
More can be done to monitor and support national servicemen with mental health issues, according to two experts who used to work with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
These include fighting the stigma attached to such illnesses, raising awareness about mental health and having more in-camp psychiatrists.
Earlier this week, State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid delivered his findings on the death of Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren, who was found at the foot of his Sengkang condominium last July.
The 23-year-old had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which distorts a person's thoughts and emotions, causing him to lose touch with reality.
The coroner pointed out several lapses, such as how the medical officer at the unit where Pte Ganesh was posted had not been informed of his condition.
Captain Jessie Goh, the officer in charge of Pte Ganesh, also did not do any research into schizophrenia.
In response to Straits Times queries, Mindef pointed to a previous report on how it screens all servicemen before enlistment and assigns them a Physical Employment Status (PES) grade. Those with medical conditions, including mental health ones, may be assigned a lower grade.
The grades range from A - fit for all combat vocations - to F, which exempts the person from national service. Pte Ganesh, who enlisted in October 2012, was given the E9L9 grade, the second lowest, because of his illness.
He became an administrative assistant in the army.
Mindef highlighted how it has a comprehensive system to track its soldiers' well-being.
Interviews are conducted by commanders every few months to find out how full-time national servicemen (NSFs) are adjusting. Some commanders are also taught counselling skills. Soldiers with issues may be then referred to medical officers, counsellors, psychologists or psychiatrists in the SAF. There is also a 24-hour SAF counselling hotline.
Dr Christopher Cheok, who was formerly head of psychiatry at SAF between 2003 and 2009, pointed out a "weak" link in the chain. There is a lack of awareness about mental health issues among junior commanders such as NSF officers and specialists, said the senior consultant, who now leads the psychological medicine department at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
"They may not understand or be equipped to deal with mental illnesses," he said, calling for more training workshops to be held.
He urged the SAF to take a more "rehabilitative, rather than punitive" approach to discipline, saying "there should be special considerations when punishing soldiers with serious mental illnesses".
There is also the perception that soldiers who downgrade their PES status because of mental health issues are malingering. Such stigma must be addressed, Dr Cheok said.
He also believes that SAF needs to invest more resources into its mental health services.
"This is not just about having more doctors, but also case managers who call to check on patients regularly."
Dr Ang Yong Guan, who was SAF's head of psychiatry from 1986 to 2003 and sees a handful of soldiers in his private practice, believes that SAF should consider expanding its pool of psychiatrists, but noted that it probably faces constraints.
He added that whether a person with mental illness should be exempted from serving should depend on how mild or severe their condition is, the likelihood of relapse if they are subjected to stress, their attitude towards NS, and their parents' attitudes.
Mindef declined to comment and referred to a statement issued in response to the coroner's findings. It said it would study the findings carefully to improve and tighten its procedures to ensure better compliance by SAF units in dealing with soldiers with mental problems.
No foul play, but coroner highlights some issues
State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid ruled out any foul play when he delivered his findings on the death of Private Ganesh Pillay Magindren on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was found at the foot of his Sengkang condominium last July.
But the coroner did highlight several issues on how Pte Ganesh was treated in the army.
Mr Imran said that Captain Jessie Goh, who was his direct superior when he was posted to the 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery at Khatib Camp in November 2012, was "out of her depth" in dealing with the soldier's schizophrenia.
Mr Imran also said that the 14 charges of extra duties given to Pte Ganesh by Cpt Goh the day before he died was a "daunting prospect even for soldiers without any mental issues".
The coroner noted that Dr Mogilan Mohan, medical officer at Khatib Camp Medical Centre, was not informed of Pte Ganesh's condition by his former unit, Kranji Camp. This is a "classic case of non-compliance" with an army medical directive.
This article was published on April 12 in The Straits Times.