Case history.
Family sues NUH, 6 doctors
By K.C. Vijayan
THE family of a dead full-time national serviceman is suing six
doctors and the National University Hospital (NUH), alleging that
their negligence led to his dying two days after he was admitted
for a pain in the right leg.
Two NUH doctors accused Corporal Chua of malingering "to avoid his
army training".
The six include a consultant surgeon and an orthopaedic specialist
who attended to 23-year-old Chua Ya Ta in June, 2001.
The dead man's parents, carpenter Chua Seow Cheong and housewife
Tan Hong Eng, both in their early 50s, and his sole surviving
brother, Ya Lin, 21, are behind the suit, which was filed in the
Subordinate Courts late last month.
A spokesman for the family's lawyers, Oei and Charles, said that
the firm is in the process of serving the suit.
Corporal Chua, who was a tank driver in the army, saw the doctor at
his camp on June 15, 2001, when his leg started hurting, and was
advised to go to hospital.
TWO YEARS AGO...
June 15: Army doctor refers Cpl Chua Ya Ta to hospital as his leg
hurts. He is admitted to NUH after a second visit.
June 17: He has breathing difficulties; his condition worsens. He
dies of an acute bacterial infection.
At NUH, he received treatment and was sent home.
But less than three hours later, he returned to the hospital
complaining of pain and a fever that came and went, and was
admitted.
In the next two days, despite suffering from the pain, he was
accused by two of the doctors of malingering 'to avoid his army
training'.
In fact, the morning after he was admitted, his girlfriend, IT
administrator Gladys Seow, also 23 then, was told by a nurse that
the hospital wanted to discharge Cpl Chua and was handed a bill for
the medical charges.
He was not discharged as by then, he had difficulties standing
without assistance.
At about noon, he fainted in the hospital toilet while
showering.
There was also blood in his stool.
His condition worsened and at about 3pm the day after, he was given
oxygen because he had difficulty breathing.
By this time, his fingers, toes and face had also turned slightly
blue.
Distressed, his uncle, businessman Chua Kok Poon, who was visiting
his nephew then, asked that he be transferred to another
hospital.
At about 5pm, he received a note from a doctor assuring him that
Cpl Chua was in stable condition and not in 'clinical
danger'.
He was later transferred to the intensive care unit, where he died
at 11.10pm of an acute bacterial infection.
The suit alleges that NUH doctors failed to take sufficient steps
to diagnose the infection and prescribe early treatment.
Contacted on Thursday, an NUH spokesman said that the hospital had
referred the case to the coroner in 2001 and had cooperated fully
in the investigation.
She added that the hospital has always kept the lines of
communication with the family open.
'We also offered them grief counselling, as well as our fullest
assistance whenever appropriate,' she said.
