Search the Community

Given 1,000 times radioactive dose at SGH Share on linkedin Share on facebook Share on twitter Source Straits Times Date 15 Mar 2013 AuthorSalma Khalik AN ELDERLY woman was given 1,000 times the correct amount of radioactive iodine after a doctor got confused over the dose. Madam Jeet Kaur developed a thyroid gland disorder following the error in March 2007 and was later diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks ago, her family reached an out-of-court settlement with Singapore General Hospital (SGH). But they are now attempting to have the case reopened, accusing the hospital of trying to sweep it under the carpet. Her son, aviation company boss Prithpal Singh, has written an open letter to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, saying that the mistake has led to "a major nightmare for all of us". Madam Kaur, who was then 75, went to SGH for a routine check of her swollen lymph nodes. It involved her being given radioactive iodine as part of the screening. An hour after she got home, Mr Singh received a call from the hospital. He was told something very serious had happened. Doctors were rushing to see his mother and asked him to be present. When they arrived, they immediately gave her medicine and took her back to SGH for further treatment. It turned out that the doctor had made a mistake over the dose. Instead of giving it in microcuries, he used millicuries, which are 1,000 times stronger. Mr Singh said his immediate concern was whether the error would lead to cancer. He was told it would not but that his mother would suffer from hypothyroidism as her glands would not produce enough thyroid hormones. She would need medication for life, which the hospital said it would take care of. Mr Singh said his mother had been active and healthy before the incident. But a month after it happened, she started to lose weight and became increasingly sickly. In 2010, she was diagnosed with low-grade lymphoma, a cancer of the blood. This meant she required several sessions of chemotherapy and hospitalisation. The family then decided to take action against SGH. "We realised the medical condition of my mother was a lot worse and more serious than what the doctors had made it out to be," said Mr Singh. He added that the hospital had insisted it was an "honest mistake" and not negligence. The doctor, who no longer works there, said in his affidavit that he was new to preparing radio-iodine and got confused. SGH agreed to pay compensation for the overdose but not for the cancer, since there was no proof that it was caused by the excess of radioactive iodine. The family said they approached a couple of nuclear medicine specialists to act as witnesses, but these experts refused because they did not want to burn their bridges with the hospital. "We just gave up," said Mr Singh. They settled for the $20,000 offered by SGH. But some days later, his mother received a bill for more than $4,000 for treatment in 2007 and 2008. Mr Singh has now written to the minister, saying: "Until today, we do not know if there were any lessons learnt from this incident and what actions were taken... The impression I got was that it was all conveniently dusted away under the carpet." Dr Andrew Tan, a nuclear physician with Raffles Hospital, said 100 microcuries is the standard amount of radio-iodine used for diagnostic purposes. But higher doses of up to 30 millicuries are used for treating cancer patients. "Anything above 30 millicuries is considered a high dose," said Dr Tan. He added that giving more than 10 millicuries would almost certainly shrink the glands and cause hypothyroidism. It is unlikely to lead to cancer, he said, although a dose of 1,000 millicuries is linked to a higher risk of blood cancers in younger patients. The Health Ministry said it had been alerted to the incident and was looking into the case. Professor Fong Kok Yong, who chairs SGH's medical board, said: "We acknowledge our responsibility for the lapse and had apologised unreservedly to the patient and her family upon uncovering the error." He added: "She remains in our continued care and we are committed to her well-being." [email protected] www.facebook.com/ST.Salma

Personally I took Scootbiz once was a terrible experience. The food worst than the worst food i ever had in Tekong, they had used spoons on the floor from the previous passenger and they didnt even check for previous passenger belongings! I found a headphone case under my footrest when I couldn't close it Sambal stains and smudges on the walls... all this on a new 787 "Dreamliner" I dont think ill ever take again. With the recent Scoot delay debacle do you all still dare to sit?

Gahmen giving $100 worth to offset booking of sports facilities and complimentary trial classes..faster go sign up yo! Better than nothing... But IMO should give cash better...then go buy my drumstick...oops! http://www.todayonline.com/sports/activesg100-singaporeans-play-sport ActiveSG$100 for Singaporeans to play sport SINGAPORE — Singaporeans and permanent residents who are ActiveSG members will each receive ActiveSG$100 to sign up for sports programmes and utilise facilities at the various ActiveSG Sports Centres islandwide. This was announced by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong at the official launch of ActiveSG, a national drive to make sports more accessible, relevant and affordable here, at the Jurong West Sports Centre today (Apr 26). Already, 30,000 people have activated their membership. “Singaporeans from all walks of life, regardless of age, skill level, or physical ability can lead an active lifestyle through sports. They can come together to learn, train, compete in a range of sports,” said Mr Wong. “We will credit all ActiveSG members with ActiveSG$100 to help kick-start their fitness routine. I hope that Singaporeans will come onboard to embrace this movement and share this with their family and friends too so that we can all get active and Live Better Through Sport.” Also present at the launch were Singapore National Olympic Council Vice-President and International Olympic Committee Finance Commission chief Ng Ser Miang, and Richard Seow, Chairman of Sport Singapore — formerly known as the Singapore Sports Council. Rebranded from the “Super Sports Club” concept under Vision 2030, the long-term blueprint for sports in Singapore, ActiveSG aims to create a sporting ecosystem that provides innovative and experiential sports-related programmes at sports centres islandwide. Registered ActiveSG members will enjoy benefits, including priority booking of facilities and complimentary trial classes. These can be done through its new Membership Management System (MMS). Members can also use the MMS as a network to form interest groups, signing up for social events, forming sports leagues and zonal affiliation for members. ActiveSG will also be the sole provider of new fitness programmes into Singapore such as Piloxing and Masala Bhangra to meet the rising demand for studio fitness regimes, while ActiveSG Sports Centres will eventually include additional facilities and services, including Aqua Spinning for a cycling workout that uses water resistance, and Flippa Ball, a modiified version of water polo for children. To help promote ActiveSG, open houses will also be held from 9am to 6pm at the Sengkang Sports Centre on Sunday (Apr 27), Yio Chu Kang Sports Centre (May 3), Bishan Sports Centre (May 4) and the Pasir Ris Sports Centre (May 10). Singaporeans and permanent residents can sign-up as an ActiveSG member via www.myactivesg.com or at any of the Sports Centres islandwide.

This was aired yesterday. Drama when the filipino lady cried...... my take is no. this would lead to more entrants of bogus marriages and social issues. I say ship them back to where they came from. your views?

From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-...-blood-20130314 (NB: Not sure why the above link needed to be logged in & so the article cannot be accessed unless you are a subsriber) As such I will recall from my memory this incident which was published in the reader's column from zaobao a couple of days back. Remembered this case because it was quite a serious lapse. According to this disgruntled reader they had a horrible experience at a local hospital. IIRC their 84 year-old grandma was warded & needed a blood transfusion. When the nurse tried to perform the transfusion, one of the relatives who was a nurse or was trained in medical procedures was astonished that the blood to be given was of type O+ but their grandma's blood type was AB. She quickly told the nurse who was adamant that the blood type was the one prescribed by the doctor & insisted on performing the procedure. Angered, the relatives quickly summoned the nursing manager & the latter was nonchalant about the mistake. When pressed, the nursing manager was reported to say that she had already apologised what more the relatives wanted. Really jialat... [shakehead]

I was told time off is under mgr's discretion. I need to visit dentist 3 times to complete a crowning procedure. My mgr keeps asking me to take MC but i told HER no MC is given for crowning. I just need to take time off to see the dentist as my dentist only work during office hrs. I have a time chit to show also. I think maybe she petty or stingy, came and told me time off is mgr discretion and wont be fair if i have to take 3 times. 3 times = 1 day already. those who r bosses/mgrs here, are you ok if ur employee needs to take time off to complete a procedure? its not like i take time off to bring my kid to see a doc. i also told her im ok to take MC but some docs dont give u MC but time chit because they dont see the need to. Whats wrong w her? I also said that time chit allows me to return work and my colleagues do not need to backup me for entire day.

...I will integrate into the country so well that no one else will know that I am from Singapore. Rather than me paying for my own studies in sg, with Vietnamese classmates on scholarship at the expense of taxpayers! Hope? What hope?

Auntie seemed to be made the bad guy by the STOMPer. The young lady also not 省油的灯。 And now the whole Singapore knows the two of them taking part in the inaugural MRT Super Saliva Fight 2012 IMO priority seats are for the needy so please do not occupy them if you are not someone in need of them. Check out the 3 videos embedded in the website. [shakehead] From STOMP: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...e_priority.html Posted on 19 Jun 2012 Auntie picks fight with girl despite being given Reserved Seat STOMPer Khair captured this video of a middle-aged woman quarrelling with a girl over a priority seat while on a train heading towards Marina Bay. The older woman had said she had a leg injury, which the younger woman claims she did not see. The older woman to take issue with how the younger woman kept 'staring at her for how many hours' after being asked for the seat, insinuating how she may be 'from China'. Later in the video, the older woman then tries to take a photo of the younger woman, to which the younger woman gets upset and questions why the older woman is 'causing trouble' despite already being given her seat. Throughout the video, vulgarities were continuously shouted at each other as the older woman accuses the younger woman of not having 'honesty'. The confrontation finally ends with the younger woman alighting at her stop at Raffles Place.

CNA news : iPads for police patrolling, higher pay for Home Team officers By Valerie Chang | Posted: 22 May 2012 2132 hrs SINGAPORE: Second Minister for Home Affairs and Minister in Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran revealed that technology will be a huge feature in the training of the Home Team. The Advanced Command Training System (ACTS) and Workpad are part of the technology to be leveraged. ACTS exposes officers to diverse training scenarios through a computer-generated virtual environment so as to better-equip them with strategic and operational decision-making skills in times of emergencies. This system will be launched next month. A prototype Workpad will be deployed at two Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) namely Tampines and Bukit Merah East NPCs. Starting June, the customised iPad will be given as part of the patrol kit to the Community Policing Unit officers. It allows them to log information on-the-go. Mr Iswaran said that it is vital for the Home Team to be technologically savvy. "This is important for us stay ahead of the game, as technological advancements continue to change the complexion of crimes and security. As our adversaries exploit technology to commit crimes, we too must harness technology to stay ahead of them, and to enable our officers to work smarter." In July, officers can also look forward to enhanced salary packages and retirement benefits. Uniformed Junior Officers in the Home Affairs Uniformed Services (HUS) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) can see a rise of 10 to 15 per cent in their monthly salary. While uniformed Senior Officers in these departments, at the ranks of Inspector to Superintendent, will receive a five per cent increase in their monthly salary. In addition, the retirement benefits of HUS Senior Officers on the INVEST Plan will be enhanced. A new retention incentive for ICA Senior Officers is being looked into. The details will be announced to officers soon. Mr Iswaran was speaking at the Home Team Promotion Ceremony on Tuesday. This year, a total of 4,474 officers received their promotion certificates in recognition of their stellar job performances. This includes 1,089 officers promoted within the Senior Officer ranks, and 3,291 officers promoted within the Junior Officer ranks. - CNA/ck What if a case reported on the scene, the officer login into the iPad and found that it is not within their boundaries to take the case and ask you to wait for the next officer from another division.... or the case classify into simple theft, serious theft, theft with weapon, theft in dwelling ...etc. and the officer after scaning his iPad, and say, not beyond his ability to handle, please wait here for the IO... They sure work smart.

Gentler kinder treatment of known fugitive compared with a disgraced MP Suntec City brawl: NZ fugitive may end up on Interpol list Suntec City brawl: NZ fugitive may end up on Interpol list

Have had the Feedback thread locked and stowed away for us to remember that this is still a sane place for us petrolheads to share and gather information among our car communities. thanks and if you want to give feedback, then this lite&ez thread can serve the function. the previous thread, we keep for documentation purposes for the action intended. Thanks Mod!

Here in SGP? In a more 'realistic' way, would you encourage / prevent your next generation staying/migrating if they are given the choice?

Which would you prefer to be? PR or citizen? Is there any advantage in being Singapore citizen over PR and FT? I am SG citizen btw, have done NS.

Hi guys, Having a bit of a dilemma here over which to give some clients during CNY.. Personally i find the homemade tarts are very good but some older people tell me giving oranges would be good as there is a 'good' meaning. So this poll is to see what would is the more popular choice.. Thanks for the input.

As above

Breaking news: The Presidential Elections Committee issues four Certificates of Eligibility to - Dr Tony Tan; Tan Kin Lian; Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say.

SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old student has been given probation for stealing from an Universal Studio locker. Joel Teo Jie'Ao and his girlfriend Candy Han had hired an electronic locker at Sentosa's Universal Studio theme park on June 7. But due to a technical fault in the system, the door of another locker - with valuables inside - popped open. The pair could have reported the matter to the park staff. Instead, they decided to help themselves to the valuables in the locker which had been hired by Madam Lim Leh Kuan. Teo and Han, who is unemployed, made off with items including cash and a hand-held game worth more than S$2,000 in all. For theft, Teo on Friday was given a year's probation and has to perform 100 hours of community service. Twenty-six-year-old Han, who admitted to the offence in June, was sentenced to a month's jail. She was jailed for five months last year when she was convicted on two counts of theft in another incident. The court heard that on the day of the theft at the Sentosa theme park, Madam Lim, a 66-year-old housewife, had placed her belongings inside her locker, located near "the Mummy" ride. About 20 minutes later, she returned to find her valuables missing from the locker. She informed the police and security officers managed to track down the two thieves after viewing closed-circuit television footages of the area. All of the stolen items were successfully recovered. - CNA/fa Whatever happen to 拾金不昧?

Ponder over this one. Its not that simple. There must be meaning to our existence. Usually the one that we love give us the reason to linger on and give meaning and happiness to our lives....

Feb 10, 2011 Given the runaround after cab collision FOUR of us boarded a Comfort taxi last month. My husband sat in front, while myself, my grandmother and mother settled behind. We were nearing our destination when another Comfort cab swerved into our path. Our driver tried to stop in time but couldn't. All three of us behind were thrown forward and suffered injuries. �Our cab driver asked if we were all right, and even after replying that we were not, he did not bother to take us to a hospital or clinic. He ferried us to our destination, uttered a hurried apology and took off. Fortunately, I took down the vehicle numbers and called ComfortDelGro about the accident. They directed me to an insurance company. Now after almost a month, I have received a reply from the insurance company saying that the fault lies with the driver of the taxi that swerved in front of ours. So now, I am supposed to approach another insurance company. Why was I given the runaround? Thahira Begum (Madam Will TP charge passengers for not putting on seat belt and cabby for not asking them to put on seat belt?

...you can tether with your iPhone. Will be terminating most of my mobile boradband plans in due course and my phone line which has 12G data plan works well when i need to surf thru the iPhone. Most prolly get multi-sim for my iPad and my other macbook air lah...but yes, 1 plan fits all... Anyone here doing the same?

Has our medical professionism gone down? How mani times had your doctors laugh at your plight bef?

Hello all, Seeking help from MCF bros to help keep a lookout.. Name: Siska Taurina Nationality: Indonesian Physical: medium brown, shoulder length hair, 1.5m, scrawny. Date Joined: 8 Sept 10 Date escaped: 30 Oct 10 What happened: Wife accidentally left Passport & work permit in her handbag in dining room coz we took out to make a copy. Maid took PP/WP, her belongings & her money (given to her during hari raya/other occasions by family/relatives around $200) late at nite & scoot off. Our valuables were untouched. Till now we dunno wat made her wanna escape, she work from 7am to 8pm, with mid day break, eat what we eat, all provided for. We're disapointed as we trusted and treated her well & she did this to us. Police report, maid agency, indonesian embassy has been informed. According to Police, she has not left SG..lucky we took insurance for the performance bond..if not $5k gone.. But we're still upset and I am willing to offer a small token of $500 to anyone who is able to provide me with information which will lead us to finding her. My contact num: 97957969. This her PP.. facebook link Maid FB a/c Not bad for someone who told us she dunno how to switch on tv..

Sgfreecycle

Hi i need help.. my friend mom being con by a car dealer she pay this car dealer full amount in cash for the yearly insurance but this car dealer only pay half for her insurance... when my mom friend ask him the money... he say that he had used the money for other purpose.. and even give the cheque x2 which bounce back btw he is a manager of the the company so what should i do

The following post prompted me to create this poll. Should humans be allowed to play the role of God? Legalizing euthanasia would do just that! The power to play with people's lives should not be handed out under a legal and/or medical disguise. Thus euthanasia should not be legalized. The term 'Euthanasia' comes from the Greek word for 'easy death'. It is the one of the most public policy issues being debated about today. Also called 'mercy killing', euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take its course. Basically euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion. On the contrary, it promotes abuse, gives doctors the right to murder and in addition, is contradictory to religious beliefs. "The respect that we owe the elderly compels me once again to raise my voice against all those practices of shortening life known as euthanasia.... Euthanasia is an attack on life that no human authority can justify, because the life of an innocent person is an indispensable good", the Holy Father said on Saturday, 31 October, to those attending an international conference on the elderly sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health-Care Workers. The Pope spoke of respect for the elderly and encouraged families to benefit from the wealth of experience that their older members have to offer. Here is a translation of his address, which was given in Italian. Your Eminences, Remember when your parent held you in their arms? there are no economical input... you cry alot. but they held on to you lovingly. It brings tears to my heart to see someone even suggesting killing their own parents cause they are old.