With the high costs of medical treatment in Singapore and the
joke of a medical coverage, one wonder is it a choice of choosing
to die, or not having the financial means to have treatment?
The biggest joke is that despite Singapore's aim to be a medical
hub, it is actually behind countries like Thailand. Any visitors to
Bangkok's private hospitals HAVE to admit they administer better
treatments, better service, a better environment at less than half
the price.
No MRI on weekends, blame it on 'bad luck'
MY FATHER, Ang Teong Hui, was admitted recently to Changi General
Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a mild stroke. However, his
condition deteriorated and he fell into a coma on the same
day.
The doctors did various tests on him and took scans of his brain
where they eventually found the cause of his deteriorating
condition.
However, the last scan - an MRI - was done a day after he was
admitted, after the doctors felt that he might not pull through and
needed the scan urgently.
When asked why the scan was not done earlier, the doctor replied
that it was bad luck on my father's part as MRI scans were not done
on weekends.
After my father was transferred out of the intensive-care unit to a
normal ward, we asked one of the nurses why such a piece of
state-of-the-art equipment was not used on weekends.
The nurse replied that it was unfair to recall the doctors just to
do the scan because weekends were supposed to be their rest
days.
Well, if it was unfair for the doctors to work on weekends, was it
fair for my father to be denied treatment on a weekend, especially
when the situation was so crucial?
My father died on Oct 8, aged 53, and there is nothing my family
and I can do to bring him back. But I would like to make it known
to Changi General Hospital and the relevant government departments
that attitudes such as those mentioned above were incorrect.
Ang Yu Ying (Ms)
The Straits Times
Oct 29, 2004
