Big shock at hospital over missing sister

Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Big shock at hospital over missing sister
Sister had been moved to another bed, but nurse said she had died

Letter from Neo Beng Lin

I recently had an extremely disturbing encounter at Changi General Hospital.

My younger sister was admitted to the hospital on June 24 for an infection. And she was originally assigned to Bed 8 in Ward 25 when we visited her that same night.

The following night, my wife and I visited my sister in the same ward and did not see her. We concluded that she must have been relocated to another ward and approached the reception for information.

We spoke to a nurse and politely gave her my sister's name.

To our deepest horror, the nurse told us coldly: "The patient has passed away." Shocked, we restated her name in full and again, the nurse gave a similar reply: "Yes, Bed 8 right? She passed away last night."

Despite our requests for her to check the records again, the nurse simply repeated the same answer. This was when I lost my patience and called my sister's husband.

He told me my sister had been transferred to Bed 29 within the same ward. We heaved a huge sigh of relief and rushed to find her at Bed 29. There, we found her alive and well.

I went back to confront the nurse again and demanded to see the records to understand how she could have made such an error. Even with my sister standing right beside me, the nurse was adamant that the patient who passed away shared the same name as my sister.

I found this absurd and was furious that no one offered an apology for the grave error.

I would like to know how Changi General Hospital manages patients' records within the wards.

How could the hospital staff not register or track a routine task such as a patient's relocation within the same ward?

How could a staff of an established, award-winning hospital commit such a blunder? Where is the sensitivity of its staff when they disclose the deaths of patients to their loved ones?

What if the wrong news were communicated to an elderly visitor with weak health? I cannot imagine the consequences if my parents were in my shoes that night.

If the hospital cannot even record simple information correctly, how can the public entrust their loved ones to the hospital's care?

How would we know if the hospital gives patients the proper medication they need? What if the wrong medication was served to a patient who has changed to another bed?

I would like the hospital's full explanation and the actions it will take to prevent others from going through what I had experienced.