No help for dying dad at Woodlands checkpoint
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July 16, 2007
ON JUNE 29, my family and I were on our way to Johor Baru. At about 11.30pm, just after clearing the Malaysian checkpoint at the Causeway, my father had chest pains and breathing difficulty. We had to cancel our trip and return to Singapore. I immediately made a U-turn.
At about 12.10am, when we arrived at Woodlands checkpoint, I called 995. A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) operator assured me an ambulance would be dispatched as soon as possible and I would be kept informed of its arrival.
I proceeded to booth 15. As there were two cars ahead of us, to save precious time, I pulled up and, leaving the engine running, I ran to the booth, hoping to jump the queue and get our passports endorsed quickly so we could secure medical help for my father.
Seeing the immigration officer engaged, I tapped on the glass panel in desperation. Without allowing me to explain, she slammed the glass door in my face and pushed aside our passports I had placed on her counter to continue serving the two cars before us.
The whole episode took a good 10 minutes and by the time I went back to drive my car to the booth, my father's condition had taken a turn for the worse.
Finally, after our passports had been endorsed, I drove to the red lane for Customs clearance to seek assistance from Customs officers. Another rude shock awaited me there.
Not a single officer came forward to help at first. Subsequently, an officer who noticed my father gasping for breath called for an ambulance. The ambulance eventually arrived but, by then, it was too late as my father had slipped into unconsciousness.
I was appalled by the way the officers conducted themselves.
Also, the assurance by the SCDF operator that an ambulance would be rushed to the scene and I would be kept informed of its whereabouts was false. Isn't 995 meant for emergency only and shouldn't cases involving a dying man be attended to as quickly as possible?
When I sought assistance at the red lane, none of the officers could perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Aren't front-line officers manning checkpoints supposed to be trained in CPR? Alternatively, shouldn't a paramedic team be stationed there in the event of an emergency?
If only help had been at hand, it might have saved my father's life.
Norhafiz Zahid
This is taken off ST interactive. But here, it does show us how a world class country with a world class government work. There is so much to learn from them .... -
haix.....
maybe they shld have drove to the nearest hospital in JB, the red building -
the sh it hits the fan again....
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although a lot of forumite here got no confident in JB hospital, I suppoed, this poor man stand a better chance then ...Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:haix.....
maybe they shld have drove to the nearest hospital in JB, the red building -
Well, this comes as no surprise for me..
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hanor....Originally posted by ORIGAMIST:although a lot of forumite here got no confident in JB hospital, I suppoed, this poor man stand a better chance then ...
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i had worked with cisco officer during my ns's ops duty..
i can say most of the officers there r fug up.. -
Singapore... land of the free, home for the brave.
no wait, that doesnt sound right.
it just shows how competent those crap people are. very world class.
that doesnt sound right either.
condolences to the family of the dead.
anyway, i think the fella would've been alive if no time was wasted in the U turning. a dedicated lane catered for emergency use only would be nice.
the part where the immigration dude slams the glass door shut is super ultra world class, high class and all the classy things that can be associated with this classy act. so is the act of a promise of an ambulance and updates, or rather, the lack of it.
heads need to roll, and careers ended. -
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When LKY's wife was already in a first class hospital in the UK... already in a hospital, mind you... already given medicine for stroke, mind you... he arranged for an SIA plane to bring her back so that she could get an brain MRI done immediately... see the difference?
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i wonder if it is time to increase their salary to retain talents.
i bet the good ones have left for the private sector. -
world class we are.
unique in it too. -
Hmm, very bad attitude...
But national borders, quite sensitive I think, for the officers to react in this way has to attribute to their 'training' again... -
maybe for the ambulance part, woodlands checkpoint could done better.
for the slamming, well, if u are the officer and out of the blue someone just comes up to u and wan their passport endorsed, how would u react? u would hav tot dat they would wan to cut queue...
more communication needed. -
In my experience, I notice that the Customs officers, as well as Cisco officers at Woodlands Checkpoint and maybe to a lesser degree at Tuas Checkpoint are far more rude when compared to those at the airport. True they may have to sit/stand there stamping passport after passport or screening people hours on end, but can't they afford a smile? What did we do to piss them off? Or are they so pissed off with neighbouring malaysians entering Sg.
Ohhh wait, our skin colour is only brown.
Talk about customer service. -
wahn lan, they earning money off the taxpayers and this is how they go about thweir service?
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Hey I think you need to get your facts right.Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:When LKY's wife was already in a first class hospital in the UK... already in a hospital, mind you... already given medicine for stroke, mind you... he arranged for an SIA plane to bring her back so that she could get an brain MRI done immediately... see the difference?
Did he arrange for the SIA plane or SIA did it voluntarily? -
Facts? If your wife were in that predicament, do you think you'd even be taken seriously even if you wanted - and could very well afford the costs - SIA to deliver a prompt, customised flight to cater to your private needs?Originally posted by Icemoon:Hey I think you need to get your facts right.
Did he arrange for the SIA plane or SIA did it voluntarily? -
exactly my point.Originally posted by walesa:Facts? If your wife were in that predicament, do you think you'd even be taken seriously even if you wanted - and could very well afford the costs - SIA to deliver a prompt, customised flight to cater to your private needs?
I remember LKY did not ask for most of the stuffs. SIA partnered with the medical service to customize the flight into a 'flying hospital'.
so now we are blaming who? -
is there a way to know?Originally posted by Icemoon:Hey I think you need to get your facts right.
Did he arrange for the SIA plane or SIA did it voluntarily?
were you there that day? -
Exactly!Originally posted by dragg:is there a way to know?
were you there that day?
what AndrewPKYap said sounded almost like slander or libel. -
Some lives are more 'worth' than others. Unless its beyond saving, like sure die one, then also no choice, but when they have the money, and the connections and relations, anything can be done, including pulling down the moon or making one more Merlion or having the entire Lim Chu Kang as him/her grave...Originally posted by Icemoon:exactly my point.
I remember LKY did not ask for most of the stuffs. SIA partnered with the medical service to customize the flight into a 'flying hospital'.
so now we are blaming who?
We have to ask ourselves, how much our lives are worth? Maybe $200000? Their lives in the eyes of political planners are worth many zeros behind we cannot even count... -
There was a report in the ST that LKY booked the whole plane and that he was paying it out of his pocket .. If I remember correctly, it was also mentioned in one of the Parliment sitting . . .Originally posted by Icemoon:Exactly!
what AndrewPKYap said sounded almost like slander or libel. -
Hmm...
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imo, let the fella talk finish then decide to slam or not is not too late.Originally posted by hiphop2009:maybe for the ambulance part, woodlands checkpoint could done better.
for the slamming, well, if u are the officer and out of the blue someone just comes up to u and wan their passport endorsed, how would u react? u would hav tot dat they would wan to cut queue...
more communication needed.