Poor service at SGH

last SG · 2007-05-14T23:46:39+00:00

Who set the $8 charge?For govt A & E services,it is more than $50. Which govt doc work for free?

robertteh SG

One of the fundamental assumptions of the government is that we must avoid welfare and people can understand this policy. However in implementing such a policy, the government has gone to the opposite extreme of taxing and recovering all possible costs leading to rising costs of living, loss of economic competitiveness since 1980s.

There is a lot of profiteering by the government in selling people's assets and infrastructures to GLCs pocketing people's properties while leaving to the GLCs to double-charge on lands and assets driving the costs of living and doing business.

Such double charging on lands and assets under the corporatization schemes has led to PSA losing out to port palepas or SIA losing out to budget airlines.

However, the government has no choice but finally to give way to bigger fishes in the ocean and PSA at the end has to relent on its original market-value land cost charge by lowering fees to shippers while SIA/Changi airport to the Budget Airlines.

Medical cares for the aged and sick is one of the most basic and essential government services for which citizens pay taxes which should have been financed partly or substantially by taxes paid by the citizens.

Yet despite all the direct and indirect taxes and double charges on lands and assets paid by the citizens, the government is still stinging in providing affordable health care as PSA has been doing until confronted by the bigger Pelepas threat.

Why govern the country in this manner- bullying the weaker citizens and giving way to bigger fishes and the foreigners.

eggprata SG

I've got nothing against nationality either man,it is happening.Everyone seems to say that foreign talent being given better opportunities but i wish to say again that i hope i am wrong.I also do not wish to see that happening in Singapore.

Even if it's true, I will still give credits to the doctors and nurses who work in public hospitals. They are the ones helping us, not the government. The government merely gave permission to set up the hospitals, and probably to expand it when more issues arise.

Well they are funding the hospitals that is for sure.They are under the government which makes those hospitals like SGH known as government hospitals and like Gleneagles as private hospitals.Yes there are doctors and nurses who do their jobs well,i agree.But a system of some sort must be put into place to increase the efficiency.

robertteh SG

I agree with you that a system of some sort e.g. Toyota Production System has to be put in place in order to assure taxpayers of proper and sustainable efficient use of all the capital, land, infrastructure and manpower resources we do have.

We are a very top-heavy system where the fullest attention is given to grooming the top academic talents at the expense of implementation efficiency at the middle management without which the society cannot attain real competitiveness and excellence.

Look at all the announced economic restructuring plans supposedly to upgrade our lower-based manufacturing to value-adding upstream industries. Here and there ad hoc plans are added with no one really fully orchestrating all the implementation processes to gel them into consistent actions and results.

All these grandiose plans are still not efficiently implemented to this day except a few ad hoc projects here and there to catch world attention. There is no consistent and coordinated developmental process managers to carry them out fully over time with periodic review and actions to realize goals except on ad hoc instructions.

Singaporeans have already used such systems to increase efficiencies and productivity like the process management which will allow all workers to excel with motivation and knowledge application far outdoing the Toyota but because they are not world-famous the government agencies like Spring are not interested in them so far.

spinsugar SG

Singaporeans. Always having to queue for everything, even things that aren't cheap. I haven't actually been to SGH's A&E, although I've heard some not-so-good comments before this one.. so I can't really comment on it.

But if TS's experience is typical of SGH's service, it's truly shameful. That, for a paid service.

I was brought into a Melbourne public hospital once by ambulance. I was still new to the country at the time, so despite my level of disorientation I kept anxiously asking every nurse I could find about the charges, but I kept getting weird looks Laughing I was attended to within 3 hours although it was busy, and then hospitalised for about 2 days.. when the doc discharged me, I still kept asking for the bill.. the amused & puzzled doc said "It's free, didn't cha know? The beauty of public health service *wink*". I -did- have to foot the ambulance bill though, but even for that they let me take my time to pay.. something that increased my appreciation of their system because I was a struggling foreign student at the time.

Now that's what I call world class.

caleb_chiang SG

Still remember that I once visited NUH while my chic-pox were brewing... They left me waiting in the air conditional waiting area for 2 hours to see the doc.

It was until then they sent me out to the tent to continue the consultation... Laughing

Jontst78 SG

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.

wonder if the airline would do this for anyone who is not a minister?

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.[/b]

caleb_chiang SG

Please lor... which hospital tell you the problem within 2 hours flat in Singapore?

Which hospital in Singapore no need to queue???

If he is not who he is today, SIA would not had prepared such facilities on board.

He tasted what it is like for us to seek treatment in our very own hospital in Singapore that he claimed to be efficient... Evil or Very Mad

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Erm... 2 hours?

Hell, even TTSH doesn't promise me this timing. Within 2 hours I get results, sure, no problem. 2 hours to get treated, whoever tells me this, either you are freaking rich like Senior Lee, or you are just freaking lucky.

2 hours only if you are in a neighbourhood clinic.

walesa SG

Originally posted by Jontst78:

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.

[b]"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.

wonder if the airline would do this for anyone who is not a minister?

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.[/b][/b]

As with my first post in this thread, that's a classic account by a fascist disconnected from reality.

Actually, in accounts I read from other free press - and I literally mean media free from control by the fascist in question - 10 Downing Street actually did not intervene in his case at all. The above account's just some embellished bollocks churned out by his pet mouthpieces to cultivate his "cult" status.

Oh, has that thug actually accounted for the charges incurred by the public for that makeshift SIA aircraft which he'd been pledging to pay from his own pocket for lightyears?

=Optimus= SG

yeah, u what u pay is what u get Rolling Eyes dun expect too much from garmen hospital

walesa SG

It's got nothing to do with being rich, is there? We're talking about a commercial entity here, not one's personal aircraft. I'm pretty sure British Airways wouldn't respond that way to Sir Richard Branson even if he were confronted with a similar crisis.

Besides, there aren't even records to establish whether the bills for that flight has been born by that thug or it has been conveniently handed to the taxpayers?

Cindyfeh SG

True True.

Hope eggprata you are feeling better now.

We have seen complains like yours on numerous occassions whether its in the news or here.

Sometimes, just have to resign to fate that we are no the "special ones" whose salaries are pegged to x% blah blah.

Jontst78 SG

What to do

What Yew says, is what Yew gets

bic_cherry SG

Don't be so angry leh... anger compromises creativity...

Anyhow...
Sharing from my collection... (Hope they don't confiscate it!)

we cried... my father lying there foaming and having seizures, with no one to attend to him, has been haunting me since...

18.8.2005- ST Forum: FULL HOUSE AT HOSPITALS
Worst stroke possible but dad made to wait 6 hours
I CAN empathise fully with (Ms Rodziah Shaari ("Seven hour wait at SGH for bed for sick dad"; ST, Aug 13).
I had similar encounters in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). My dad was sent to the A&E department three times in two months because of stroke and, each time, my family had to wait at least six hours before he was pushed to a ward.
I can understand that the hospital is short of staff and we have to wait for every thing. But to make a patient wait hours for a bed is unforgiveable, especially when the patient is in critical condition.
The third time my dad was taken to SGH was also his last. When I drove him to SGH, he was already paralysed and could not speak. The A&E doctors were quick to attend to him because of the urgency of his condition.
They ordered an immediate scan to see how badly his brain had been affected by the stroke, after which he was left unattended in a corner to await the results.
I could see that my dad was getting weaker as time went by. About two to three hours later, when the results came out, the doctors confirmed that he had suffered a stroke I again and had to be admitted.
It took another hour or two for the admission staff to tell us that my dad had to wait as no bed was available in the neurology ward.
When we checked on him in the observation area, he was in a serious state. He was having fits and barely conscious, and his mouth was; foaming. No one attended to him.
It was only when we cried that a patient service officer quickly picked up my dad's file and called for someone to push him away. . When my dad finally got to the ward, it was past 2am. And we had arrived at the A&E department about 7pm; it took more than six hours before my dad was seen by a neurologist.
If my dad had been taken to the ward earlier and been treated by a neurologist, his chances of living might be higher.
The neurologist told us that my dad had the worst kind of stroke anyone could get. He also told my family to quickly consider having a special injection administered as his condition was deteriorating by the minute since the onset of stroke at 5.45pm at home.
We took no more than 10 minutes to reach a decision. And to think that six hours were wasted in the A&E department.
The image of my father lying there foaming and having seizures, with no one to attend to him, has been haunting me since. Sadly, he was pronounced brain dead the next day.

I appreciate the doctors in the A&E department for their sense of urgency, and the doctors in the neurology ward who tried their best to save my father.
But I did not detect the, same sense of urgency in hospital staff who were at the front line, doing admission administration and ferrying of patients. I saw faces filled with weariness and reluctance rather than urgency and compassion.
I agree with Ms Rodziah that it seemed acceptable to the hospital for patients to wait hours for a bed - and specialised treatment and care. If Singapore wants to be a top-notch medical hub, how can we condone this kind of work attitude, and hours of waiting in the emergency department?

Tan Tze Yee (Ms)
Copyright @ 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

walesa SG

Laughing Are you brought up by this regime to regard any derogatory, but accurate references, on figures running this regime to be unsavoury and necessarily conveys anger?

So what am I supposed to call a terrorist? An ambitious freedom-fighting gentleman?

A spade is a spade; and thugs are thugs. Cool

oxford mushroom SG

It is well known that 7-10pm is the busiest time in a public hospital. Too many Singaporeans wait until they return home from work before deciding to send their children/parents to the A/E.

You cannot force people who are already working at their limit to do more. If the hospital beds are full, they are full. Can hospitals refuse to admit patients if their beds are filled? If there is a dengue epidemic or if a ward has to be closed due to MRSA infection, beds fill up very quickly. Stroke wards are worse, because we have all encountered patients who are fit for discharge but the families don't want them back yet, making worse the bed shortage.

Bring in more beds? Sure, if Singaporeans are willing to pay more taxes Bring in more staff? You have to pay more to persuade more staff to do overtime and recruit more staff. If hospitals are not allowed to charge more, they cannot expand their services, bring in more beds and staff.

Sure, we can build up more reserves, have more empty beds for the odd times when dengue strikes and the beds fill up. But what about the days when the demand is low? When you see empty wards and doctors with little to do, people complain too. So the hospital works very efficiently with just enough staff and beds to make the service very cost-effective. But if you have a crisis like an infection or epidemic, we have no reserves to fall back on.

ShutterBug SG

Lame as hell excuses about Peak Hours and what nought....

So many decades have gone by, and yet Hospitals, A&E, and Polyclinis are still plaque with excuses like shortage of doctors, not enough beds, etc...

What does this tells us?

A country and population of our size, don't tell me, 40 over years cannot improve a little on these sort of shortcomings??? Bearing in mind all the reserves our gov have been hoarding.... for what!?!?!

10 years ago Polyclinic long Que, 10 years later Polyclinic still long que plus same complains!!!

WTF!!!!

eggprata SG

Thanks to the feedback i gave them,my appointment has been brought forward to the 18th.

And yeah those are excuses.Lame excuses.You sure oxford mushroom that you not sent by the pap to come in here and spy on us?Come on man its all crap.Or you haven't been to a government hospital before.You should.Or perhaps you went there for fever and running nose that was they attended to you fast and service was good.

You cannot force people who are already working at their limit to do more.

God damn it i worked more for my O levels than these doctors at government hospitals work.Compare to to private hospitals.Why are they more efficient? Very simple,they have a system in place.

Bring in more beds? Sure, if Singaporeans are willing to pay more taxes Bring in more staff? You have to pay more to persuade more staff to do overtime and recruit more staff. If hospitals are not allowed to charge more, they cannot expand their services, bring in more beds and staff.

You on crack or something? Dude,it seems you are not a Singaporean.You don't hear people complaining do you about GST,transport fares and what not?Britain-they don't pay a god damned cent for their medical care and how efficient it is.Below is an extract that was mentioned by walesa.

From my first-hand observations of how things work at a NHS hospital (the observation was made in a NHS hospital during John Major's premiership, which seems a lifetime ago compared to the gross improvements that have taken place under Tony Blair's Labour government), the sort of issues you witnessed aren't alien to Singapore. Having said that, the efficiency and service of its A&E, for all its undue delays, was still lightyears ahead of Singapore's and the hospital essentially operated on the premise of providing medical care that is free to Britons.

If the NHS can adopt a free public healthcare system that caters to a population of 60 million and still be more efficient than a paid healthcare system provided by the fascists, what indications are there to suggest increasing charges is actually a solution to the root problem? Typical of this megalomaniac regime, the biggest irony of its charge-levying measures stems from the fact that it doesn't necessarily address the problem in question - afterall, it's not hard to see ERP tolls haven't exactly improved traffic conditions considerably, is it?

That sums about almost everything.

walesa SG

I suppose the regime for which you're such a proud sycophant of hasn't highlighted to you the abovementioned issues you raised were more than adequately dealt with by NHS hospitals eh?

Sure, by all means, raise the taxes to the level of Britain's - so long as the fascists have got the means to provide the level of social welfare the Brits are capable of dishing out to a population of 60 million...

FBI SG

that time i went a and e.. then i waited for a few hrs...

i think by that time i already die le

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