Dear A.S.S,
I had Mycoplasma and can't breath on 27 February 2016 early in the morning and went to the nearest hospital near me. The doctor on duty at Raffles Hospital Accident and Emergency whom I consulted didn't even review my X-Ray and blood test told me he is going off for the day than disappeared. The nurses are the ones who informed me that I should be warded. If I should be isolated shouldn't I be sent directly to the isolation room? Why send me to the Female Surgical Section where there is a pregnant nurse on duty and I should be isolated away from the other pregnant patients or babies? I am a patient I should be unpacking, packing and unpacking again? Isn't this their negligence and I am charge an Education Services Ward Procedures fees of $10.15 besides an Admission Assessment of $24.84.
Under Raffles Hospital Patient Rights and Responsibilities Section 4 - Know the Names of the People Caring for you "Be informed of the name and position of the doctor who will be in charge of your care". Their Dr Ekachai Danpanich did not tell me his position in Raffles hospital. He only said that he was a doctor in charge of me and there are nurses there to be the witness. Most major hospital in Singapore refers a specialist which is related to the illness not any specialist on duty. Would you follow up with a specialist whom does not specialise on your illness after you are discharge? Does it make sense? Would you see a doctor who does not know how to treat your illness?
The Raffles hospital Isolation room was too cold as the temperature control switch is broken. The sofa bed was also broken and cannot open up. The toliet bowel in the isolation room will flash non-stop like a waterfall. TV channels were flickering and there is no hot flask in the isolation room but the other room. All the other rooms in Raffles hospital are full and they accuse me of not requesting to change to another room. For such a rundown isolation room I have to pay $588 a night, glove wash $13.77 and for hot packs $58.14 as their isolation room was freezing cold. Don’t you think this is Day Light Robbery?
I did not request for a non-related specialist Dr Ekachai Danpanich. He can't even explain to me why he needs me to repeat those unnecessary blood test for almost $1,000. When I ask him about the cost of blood test he said money is not an issue. Can he write off all his bills and the unnecessary blood test since money is not an issue to him?
Not all their staff wear mask when they enter my isolation room. Why should I pay $30.60 for their mask when some of their staff refused to wear them? If I should be isolated but how come I can go out of my isolation room and tour the whole hospital to know that all the rooms are take up except the suites? I have a "Fall Precaution" at my bed but I was able to go out of my isolation room to remind their nurses that they have forgotten to give me my medication/meals and even when to the garden a couple of times.
Dispute reminders to their nurses that I will bruise easily they still draw my blood though I requested for doctors only. In the end both my arms are bruised for a few weeks by their untrained nurses. Why do I need an IV when I don't need to be on drip and it cost me $84.63? Their nurse removed it the night before when they know the next morning they need to draw my blood again. Their nurse also forget to give me the balance of my cough syrup when the plastic bag with a label on it indicated it and I have to go to your nurse station to collect my medication when I should be isolated.
Upon my discharge my X-Ray report was not ready but they diagnose me with Mycoplasma Pneumonia and discharge me the next day. Isn’t this contradicting or they have misdiagnosed me? Till today I still have not received the hard copies of my detail bills, X-ray report, blood test results and discharge summary though I have requested them upon my discharge. It's totally ridiculous to pay $4,000+ for a night stay at a rundown hospital and get tortured by their staff negligence.
Besides the above, last year one of their clinic pharmacists gave me almost expired pills and it cost me almost $20 per tablet. I've kept the wrapper and the label that indicated I should take the almost expired pills before the rest.
In Singapore we can only die but cannot fall sick! Don’t you agree?
Pauline Soh
A.S.S Contributor
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