'Deeply sorry for error': NUH apologises for giving
woman wrong medication
NUH has apologised for dispensing dental adhesive paste instead of
eye gel to an elderly housewife, which resulted in her right eye
being 'glued shut'.
The hospital admitted that the incident was the result of an error
on its part and that it will do its best to see through the
housewife's recovery.
The incident was first reported to STOMP yesterday (Dec 14) by
the 63-year-old patient's son, STOMPer
Austin.
He said that his mother, Madam Pang Har Tin, was prescribed
Solcoseryl 20% Eye Gel to treat a corneal abrasion she sustained
during procedures performed at NUH, in a routine treatment for
pre-existing eye conditions.
However, an error made at the NUH pharmacy resulted in her bringing
home Solcoseryl Dental Adhesive Paste instead, an ointment to treat
inflammation and wounds to the mouth.
The patient, who cannot read English, applied the medication, and
subsequently found difficulty in opening her right eye. She was
rushed to the accident and emergency department at NUH to have her
eye flushed out.
NUH said in a statement yesterday:
"We are deeply sorry for Madam Pang Har Tin's experience which
resulted from our error.
"Her well-being is our priority, and we have arranged for our eye
specialist to review her on Wednesday. We will do our best to see
through Madam Pang's recovery."
NUH also said: "The pharmacy staff involved have been counselled,
and we have tightened our processes to minimise the risk of a
similar error."
Eye specialists provided some insight into the incident.
Dr Esther Fu, an opthomologist from Gleneagles Medical Centre
said:
"While the chemical mixture Solcoseryl itself will not cause major
side effects, how it affects the eye depends on factors such as the
acidity of this dental preparation and other compounds
added."
Dr Christopher Khng, an eye surgeon at Gleneagles, said: "The
thick, gritty texture of the dental paste could worsen the corneal
abrasion, opening more area to bacteria infection. In a worst-case
scenario, this could lead to vision loss."
He added, however, that severe side effects were unlikely as a
paste would probably cause the individual to tear, washing the
substance out of the eye.
Ms Christine Teng, vice-president of the Pharmaceutical Society of
Singapore said that the main reason the error occurred was probably
due to 'the products looking very alike, which led the wrong
product being packed and dispensed'.
Source:
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/got_service_or_not/515268/nuh_apologises_for_giving_patient_dental.html
such callous remarks to push the blame on the packaging.
No compensation too.
