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3 Nov 2003
'Today' newspaper
by Val Chua
Emotions ran high on a balmy Sunday night as the normally stoic
Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew nearly broke down while recounting the
ordeal his wife went through in London recently.
The troubles that the couple faced - including joining a queue in a
free hospital - when Mrs Lee was hit by stroke two Sundays ago,
revealed how differently two systems worked.
"I cannot tell you how restless and unhappy we felt," he said at a
community event in Jalan Bukit Merah yesterday.
"We run a (healthcare) system where you have to co-pay ... but you
get the attention. There, no attention, just join the queue," he
said grimly.
The first sign of trouble was that there was no private hospital
with CT scan facility at night in London, he told residents and
community leaders.
So, Mrs Lee had to go to the NHS hospital nearest to the Four
Seasons Hotel where they were staying - a free facility called the
Royal London Hospital - and join the queue.
"We waited 45 minutes for the ambulance for a 10-minute drive,"
said Mr Lee in his first public appearance since the couple
returned on Friday.
"In Singapore, within half-an-hour, you would be in SGH (Singapore
General Hospital), TTSH (Tan Tock Seng Hospital) ... and within
one-and-a-half to two hours flat, you'd know what went
wrong."
When Mrs Lee reached The Royal London Hospital at 12.30am, it
happened to have three cardiac arrest patients.
Mr Lee was told his wife's brain problem was "not as important" as
the cardiac arrest cases, he recounted solemnly. She would have had
to wait till 8am the next morning for her CT brain scan if 10
Downing Street had not intervened to get her early attention. High
Commissioner Michael Teo had sought help from 10 Downing Street at
2am on Sunday and she received treatment at 3.30am on the night
itself.
"Once upon a time, it was a wonderful hospital. But after 40 plus
years ... the system cannot deliver. There's no connection between
those in the system and the patients," he said.
But it's the way free healthcare systems work, he added, noting
that Singapore must not go down that path, even though there are
calls for free C class wards in public hospitals here.
"It's how the system works ... They did not discriminate against
us," he noted of his London experience.
This contrasted sharply with how quickly Singaporeans - including
national carrier Singapore Airlines - reacted to the
situation.
Even though doctors initially advised that Mrs Lee stay put in
London for three weeks, Mr Lee decided fly her back once her
condition stabilised.
And then there was the big worry that she would get a spasm
onboard, he recounted.
But he needn't have worried. Within 48 hours, SIA had fitted out
SQ321 with medical support of oxygen tanks and other fixtures for a
drip.
"No other airline would have done this," Mr Lee said, looking
visibly touched.
On board were also two Intensive Care nurses from Changi General
Hospital, two doctors, as well as officials from SIA who made sure
all the equipment worked.
"Everyone knows his job," said Mr Lee. "Within 12 to 13 hours, we'd
reached Changi Airport. It was a big relief," he said. "Twelve to
13 hours. Your heart stops beating sometimes. We landed at Changi
Airport. Great relief. I had my granddaughter (Li Xiuqi) with me.
She is very fond of her grandmother. She was so relieved."
Mrs Lee was whisked off in an ambulance to Singapore General
Hospital, where she is recovering.
"I think this experience has changed my granddaughter's view of
Singapore," Mr Lee said.
The overseas ordeal has made him even more assured that Singapore
has what it takes to succeed, despite the downturn. "It's how we
respond in an emergency that determines how we fight back. And I
have enormous confidence that we can fight back."
The Singapore system - with its efficiency and fighting spirit -
must be kept, he said.
"You slacken, you choose the easy way, and you'd be finished," he
said.
Choking back tears, he added: "I have immense confidence that in an
emergency, our people respond ... If we can do that, we can
succeed."
