A Letter from a friend who almost lost her son due to a Hospital’s Negligence and Malpractice. I am posting her letter to spread awareness about The Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital’s Greed and Indifference. This will serve as a warning to all Filipinos in the Health Care Industry that they should practice what the have learned and value life above Monetary Compensation. Every human life is precious and have the right to live as it was given to them by God and Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Institutions have no right to take it away. This letter was written to prevent another person or child from ever experiencing this kind of horrifying ordeal.
Please read and share, Thank You!:
Dr. Hermogenes Purrugganan
Medical Director
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
Sta. Mesa, Manila
Telephone: 25239942 / 2519406
Telefax: 2523942
Dr. Purrugganan;
Good afternoon. I am hoping that you are in the best mood today.
I am writing to you regarding my experience in your hospital – Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Manila; when my son, Levi Chrysler was confined due to Dengue Fever last August. I honestly want to forget about everything that happened then but the experience haunts me and my son. The turn of events are still in on mind and I believe is being dreamt of by my son as well as he often wakes up in the middle of the night crying. He also somehow developed a phobia when people surround him when he is lying down.
Let me tell you the whole story. My son was rushed to OLLH Emergency Room on midnight of August 4 due to high fever. My mother and my sister in law patiently waited for a doctor to attend to them. When a doctor finally became available to check my son, they were advised that what he got is just Pneumonia and they can go home. They were given prescriptions to buy medicine for my son. Unfortunately, his fever did not subside. For the next couple of days, my mother just sponge bathe by son so his fever would not go up.
I flew back to the Philippines on Friday, August 6th. I saw that my son is still sick so the following day, Saturday, I brought him to a Pediatrician who advised to have his blood checked for possible dengue. His platelet count was too high so the doctor advised me to have the blood test repeated the following day. However, when the night came, he seem to be too weak and almost dehydrated so I decided to bring him back to the hospital. The nearest is your hospital.
We reached OLLH around 9pm. There were a couple of patients waiting in queue for the 2 ER doctors to become available. I understand that the ratio of doctor to patient is not really enough so I kept my patience and waited on the line. However, my son’s fever is getting higher and I guess because of that he gets agitated. We called the nurse a couple of times to tell the doctors of that. He’s reached 40 degrees already and we’re afraid he will get convulsion if we just let him be. The nurse advised us to just continue doing the sponge bath to keep him from what we fear for. Mind you, my son is the youngest in the queue and is the only one who got so high fever at the time. We tried talking to the doctors again to please see my son immediately as he doesn’t look good anymore. I guess, our persistence paid and the doctor decided to call us inside. When she saw my son, she immediately said to admit him without checking his vital signs or whatever. She must be that good that’s why.
However, we waited and waited for the next action that they will do to start the admission process. But nothing happened. We just waited inside the little room for their next instructions. While waiting, I even casually talk to the doctors on how I think their job is so hard since some parents are getting pissed off at them already for being so slow and all. I even told them I guess in situations like these, everyone has to be calm and focused so emotions would not flow and may delay the process more. Eventually, I noticed that my son’s nose is already bleeding. When I told the doctor, that’s the time she shouted a lot of instructions to the nurse and everybody to move and all. We were advice to go to the admissions office to start the process. When we were going back and forth to the ER and admissions office, I noticed that there were new doctors coming in. One of the doctors sitting on the table and was writing caught my attention because I heard her making a comment about another patient’s parent who is actually disabled and is also making her way back and forth just like me. She said “Sino dun un bitin un paa na palakad lakad pa sa hallway?” I was appalled because in my point of view, a doctor should not be making that comment.
So we were able to get a room at 4am.
I checked the room first before he transferred so I would know what the things I need to prepare are. I saw that his bed is situated near the air conditioning unit and that his head will be directly exposed to it. I got concerned that his pneumonia will worsen if this will be the case so I requested him to be transferred. I was advised to go back to the admissions office to discuss that. I was advised by the admissions officer that since one unit doesn’t have a bed, we can just move his bed there away from the A/C. So we did with the help of the hospital aide. Unfortunately, when I brought my son to the room, the nurse in charge become furious finding out that we are moving beds explaining that they have coded it and other nurses would be confused. I tried explaining to her the instructions from the admissions officer while carrying my son in the wheelchair. She reasoned out and talked to the aide about the hospital policies and all. Time is passing so I just asked for them to settle the beds and let my son rest. So we settled.
After a few minutes, we were advised to transfer to the next room without explaining why. Later we realized the reason; it was the Respiratory Room that he will be transferred to since he has pneumonia. So we transferred. We met other patients there who have been in the hospital for days and not knowing what will happen next. One patient’s parent said they have been there for 3 days already but the doctor has not visited them yet. He advised his wife to have their daughter discharged the following day since she doesn’t have fever anymore.
As for my son, we continue to monitor his situation. The doctors from the ER came in to the room and checked his signs. Then a resident came in to introduce herself as “Dra. Remboriano or Leburiano” and pass along the message from the pediatrician to us. To my dismay, she was the same doctor I saw in the ER who made that unprofessional comment on another patient’s mother. How I prayed so hard for her not to be my son’s doctor or resident but now she was. Just hoping she is good enough to get my trust.
The following day, I was able to meet my son’s pediatrician, Dra. Mirasol. She is the same doctor who treated my nephew who got dengue as well and got admitted in OLLH the week before. So, we trust her. She explained the situation to me and what needs to happen next. She explained to me the tests and all. She also suggested having other family members tested. So I had my daughter tested as well since she has a fever the previous day.
Days have passed and we are not seeing any progress on my son. I have been talking to other parents in the room and they were telling me their stories about the hospital, nurses and doctors. There’s one patient who got convulsions a couple of times but the parent doesn’t know what’s happening to her son. Another patient got rashes after taking an IV Antibiotic. The parent was advised that it might be “tigdas hangin” or something. But I told myself, isn’t it an allergic reaction to the antibiotic? How can it be “tigdas hangin” if he is in the hospital for quite some time already? If it was “tigdas hangin”, how come he still stayed with us in the room; it can be contagious, right?
As more days passed, I have been noticing some changes in his physical state. He somehow became bigger and is not waking up anymore. His hands somehow became purplish and he is not peeing anymore. He is also having a hard time breathing so I asked the nurse if there is a possibility of nebulizing him. I was advised, as per the resident, it is not required. I am feeling a little anxious already not seeing any improvement despite the explanation of Dra. Mirasol of the stages of Dengue Fever. He continued to get tested, more blood extractions, more holes in his veins and fingers. Added to the anxiousness is the fact that doctors find it hard to put him in IV or extract blood since his veins are so small.
When I went home Wednesday, August 11th, my anxiousness and concern that he is not improving grew bigger. I just changed my clothes and prepared to go back to the hospital immediately. My sister in law called me and asked where I am. She said my son is being put to Oxygen already. I got surprised because just the previous night I was asking the nurse to nebulize him but was advised it is not required but now here he comes being put into O2. So hurried back to the hospital.
The nurse tried explaining things to me. I have been reading online about Dengue Fever and in continued contact with our family Pediatrician. I am asking a lot of questions about my son’s state. So I don’t quite comprehend on what the nurse is telling me. So I stopped her and asked if I decide to transfer my son to another hospital, would they help me in the coordination. She just looked at me and said, “Sigurado po ba kau mam?” I paused for a moment and then she goes “Kasi kung sigurado po kayo, sasabihin ko po kina doktora”. I tried asking for more questions but she said it’s better for me to talk to the resident.
Another nurse came in and asked me questions on why am I thinking of transferring. I told her I am just considering it because maybe my son is not “hiyang to OLLH”. Because we usually bring my eldest to Medical City and this has not happened in the past. They usually get well after our trip to the ER of TMC. I don’t want to share anything to them, my thoughts and concern on how I see the way they treated my son.
So the resident came. She is breathing heavily as she approach me to ask if I am sure in transferring. I told her what I told the nurses and that I just would like to know how the process goes. Because when we were still in ER, I have seen a couple of parents transferring their patients to St. Luke’s and other hospital so I thought it could be that easy. However, the resident said it would not be that easy as there are a lot of things that needs to be done and she is the only resident on duty at the time. She even said that she has 60 patients and she is the only one on duty and if we will be transferring she will need to add the abstract into her workload. That hit me and grew my concern bigger because what if something happened to my son, who will be there to assist us immediately? I then asked her what is happening to my son. She said what you mean. I told her I am reading a lot about dengue. I know the critical stage is the defeverance stage. So I asked her, have there been any complications? The conversation goes: “Doc ano na po ba nangyayari sa anak ko nagkakomplikasyon na po ba?” Then she goes “Alin, yung ano?” I go “Yung dengue po nagkakomplikasyon na po ba?” She goes again “Komplikasyon? Yung Dengue? Oo nagkakomplikasyon na.Palpable na po yung liver and may tubig na po yung lungs niya kaye irerefer na po naten sha sa Pulmunologist. Kasi sa kabila po ng matatas na dosage ng gamut hindi pa din po nawawala un tubig niya sa baga”. She said this plainly and flatly. As if it’s just a normal thing and nothing to worry about. Then I go “Oh my God doc bakit di ninyo naman po sinasabi sa akin” Then she goes “Hindi mam ganito po kasi yun” then she tried telling me things I could not comprehend anymore. All I know at that time is my son is in danger. Then a lot of things happened and my head is already spinning. There are a lot of people talking to me asking me why. So I contacted my friend whom I worked with an insurance company and is also a Nurse/Medical Practitioner to ask for help.
While waiting for him, the OIC of the nurses came to talk to me to ask the same questions. I told her the same thing. She then explained to me that we can’t transfer because of a lot of reasons. The medical Records Department is already closed so they will not be able to prepare the documents easily. The billing is already closed so they will not be able to get the outstanding amount due for us. The doctor is already out and there is only 1 resident to take care of 60 other patients. The coordination with the hospital has to be done by us not hen as they are also busy. The process of transferring a patient is not that easy. But what hit me the most with all the things she said is “Kung magtatransfer kau paano naman ho yung billing ninyo? Eh yung deposit ninyo eh gamit na.” So I told her I will pay whatever amount there is, just let us transfer. Then she goes “Eh sarado na nga po un billing kelangan ho ma settle nio muna yun billing”. So I told her, give me the amount I have to pay just let us transfer. I will give extra amount if needed. She then mentioned that as of that time, our bill is around 18K, so she is asking me to pay 25K plus 3K professional fee. These plus the 5K deposit, I have given will total to 33K – my final bill is just 13K. Then we will be allowed to transfer. This time my friend already arrived and was given the same explanation on why we can’t transfer. So, when we’re talking, he would often counter their reasons with “di ba may paraan naman po para…” Despite our efforts in finding ways they still keep on telling us that it’s not easy to transfer. We have to do this and all. And again, the OIC noted that we have to settle the full/final bill saying “eh paano naman po yung billing?” So my friend was forced to say “So yung medical records and billing department ninyo closed pero un cashier open?”
Then, here comes the issue on the hospital that we will be transferring. We advised the resident that we already coordinated with Medical City. We have an attending physician already who is my friend’s common friend as well. We were in constant contact with her and she advised us who to talk to when we’re arranging the transfer in Medical City. So we were able to get the name of her resident in ER and we also got the reservation queue in TMC. We advised that resident of this who went away saying she will have to prepare the abstract. She endorsed to the nurses to contact her if we were able to get the room already. When we called TMC again and the ER resident advised us that she is waiting for OLLH to contact them. When we talked to OLLH, they said they are waiting for TMC to contact them. So we told the nurse to tell the resident. She said the resident is asking for the actual room number. To tell you honestly, we were number 20 in the queue. But we were also advised by the resident in TMC that the attending physician gave the instructions that we can go immediately at one of the rooms in the ER department of TMC so they can examine my son first while waiting for the admissions office to confirm the room number. We tried explaining this to the nurses or OLLH and the resident but they insist that they need the room number. So we tried our best in contacting TMC Admissions and settle this.
While waiting for a room number, another resident talked to me. She is the resident from the nursery and was pregnant. She tried explaining the same thing to me about transferring. I got comfortable with her so I decided to tell her what I feel. I told her 1. I am the one who would usually notice the changes on my son that he is swelling already. I told the nurses but they didn’t do anything. They just asked me to stop feeding him and will tell the resident. 2. I asked for a nebulizer but was advised its not required. Eventually he was put to Oxygen 3. There were instances of incorrect administration of medicines to other patients in the room. I told her of the antibiotic incident to other patient and the other time that I was also told that my son will have to take an IV medicine for a different disease. When I asked the nurse for the name of the patient, it’s not my son. 3. My son is not urinating anymore and not waking up and nothing is being done to him. I don’t see the doctors roaming nor even the resident. And I also learned that nurses on duty were 2nd year college only. 4. I would often see the nurse station without any nurse at all. What if something happened to any of the patients in our room, who are we going to call? Lastly, I told her “I don’t know if you are a mother already or will just be a mother soon but you would understand my frustration and anxiety if it’s your baby who is in that bed.” She said the doctors are doing their best to treat him and that’s the reason why he was put to the special room. I asked her again, if she could see anyone from that room who looks the same as my son, who has the same situation as my son. She did not answer; she then left and did not try to persuade me anymore.
Another unfortunate event happened while waiting for the room assignment in TMC. My friend and I are sitting in the hallway near the window when the red light on the door of the room turned on. I asked my friend what could possibly be the meaning of that. I got an eerie feeling about it because when I came back to the hospital that day, that light was turned on and I saw nurses putting my baby into Oxygen. Then my friend says it was actually a signal for nurses that somebody inside is asking for help. So I just ignored it thinking that it’s a call from another patient. I saw 2 nurses approaching and thought they would get inside since they have seen the red light. But to my surprise they both went different ways; one went at the back of the nurse station which was empty at the time. And the other went to the opposite room which doesn’t have any patient at all to fold linens or something. Then my brother came out of the room rushing. I asked him what it was. He said they called the nurse because my son’s IV is already empty so his blood started to go up. Then we both called the nurse on the opposite room. A couple of seconds have passed before she went out to answer us and went to my son’s room. I followed her. After fixing my son’s IV, I asked her why they are like that in OLLH. It’s always me who notices on my baby first. It’s as if they don’t care at all. They just get BP, pulse rate and temperature. That’s all. But do not even look at the patient and see that there is something wrong already. I related to her what I have just seen they did when they saw the light. She reasoned out its because there is a protocol they have to follow. I don’t quite understand what protocol is that. All I know is that if the patient calls for the nurse, a nurse should come in immediately. What if it’s an emergency case? What if somebody got convulsion or something? It took them a while to take action.
Then we go again about the transfer. Again TMC advised we can transfer and stay temporarily at the ER while waiting for the room because the doctors in the ER would have to confirm what kind of room we should get depending on the status of the patient. So we advised the nurses of this. The resident came back and talk to us complaining about working on the abstract on a rush basis. She is reasoning out that she has 59 other patients to attend to and it would not be easy to draft the abstract. She also advised that they are waiting for the call from TMC but TMC advised they are waiting for OLLH. So what my friend did, he called TMC again using his mobile phone and handed it to the resident so they can talk and initiate the coordination between the 2 hospitals. While this is happening, Dra. Mirasol also called to talk to me. She asked the same thing and I told her the same thing. She assured me that they are doing their best and that they put my son in high priority so I don’t have to worry. I reasoned out to her that even if she says my son is in high priority, what is may assurance that if something happens there is somebody to assist us immediately if the resident is already complaining that she is the only one on duty looking after 60 patients. I also told her what I told the other resident earlier who advised me that the reason why they put my son in the Respiratory Room to attend to the patients with similar cases immediately. But nobody in that room looks the same as my son at that time. He is the only one who is swelling, not waking up, not urinating anymore. Aside from the fact that he is the only one with Dengue Fever, with palpable liver and with water on his lungs. She then asked to talk to the resident again.
So we waited and waited. The nurses also talked to us about the issue on getting an ambulance amongst any other issues they mentioned about the transfer. We told them if there is no ambulance available, we have a car on standby. My friend even explained to me the against medical advice clause and that as he sees my son, we can transport him using his own car if ambulance will not be available. I trust him and agree with him. It’s better to keep moving than wait forever to get transferred. Then the nurse came back saying there is already an ambulance. We agreed on the terms. But they also raised a concern on bringing their resident back. We said we will. But the nurse said there will be an extra fee for that. We said we will pay whatever extra fees just book the ambulance and let us transfer. So it was done.
The issue on the room number again came in. They asked for it again and discussed with them the setup we got from TMC. They said, they need the room number because Dra. Mirasol will be mad if we don’t give it since it’s a requirement. We told them this has already been discussed. My family both in the Philippines and in Singapore is quite anxious too of what’s happening. I expressed my intent in transferring at around 3 or 4pm. It’s already 2am and we’re still running around issues about it. So my sister in law called from overseas and requested to talk to the resident. Then eventually the resident called me and told me things about my sister and law and what she is saying. The resident is shouting at me and asking me to tell my sister to stop as she couldn’t take it anymore. I am so tired and feeling so helpless at that time. There are a lot of things that I am worrying about and here she comes asking me to tell my sister in law to stop talking to her as if she is the aggravated party. I am so concerned that my son may die anytime soon and here she goes asking me to tell my sister in law to stop and pacify her as she cannot continue coordinating our transfer to TMC anymore. My friend asked me to go ahead and talk to my sister in law as it is delaying the process as well. So I did. The resident then talked to my friend in a very condescending way on having to draft the abstract, coordinate and get all of this situation. My sister in law on the other hand tried to explain to me what really happened. In her version, she said she just asked what the rationale behind the large dosage of antibiotics is and what the real status of my son is. She also asked what kind of pneumonia my son has, is it viral or bacterial pneumonia or something. Dr. Lemboriano or Reboriano snapped back at her saying “I don’t like your question mam; I don’t like the tone of your voice. I don’t deserve to be questioned like this. I don’t deserve this.” She also shouted at my sister in law saying she was aggravated and will report my sister in law to the hospital director.
So finally, the transfer process started. We were asked by the nurse if they should call the ambulance now. My friend said yes thinking that if the ambulance is already there, they will expedite the process. The nurse advised that if the ambulance will wait there will be an extra charge. We said, we’re OK with it. The ambulance came but we still waited for the resident to finish the abstract and the coordination. While waiting, my husband who is also in Singapore called to ask what’s happening. He reached the reception and advised that he just would like to inquire on why my son is still being held in the hospital. The good receptionist told my husband “Ay puwede ninyo na pong I claim sa morgue sir”. My husband was aghast and don’t know what to do. He said that my son is still alive. The receptionist then go “Ay buhay pa po ba” then immediately transferred my husband to the nurse station line. However, the line got disconnected.
Then the resident came back and talked to the ambulance physician who will do the coordination with TMC when we transport my son. The doctors were talking and all I can hear is the ambulance physician’s questions if they did this and that, if this has been given or not. Most of the time, OLLH resident they said no. Then they talked about a working diagnosis of Dengue, Pneumonia and Amoebiasis. When the discussion finally ended, we prepared our things. The ambulance physician asked me if I have all the medical results already. So I approached the resident again. She gave me the results remarking that we even photocopied this in our department because Medical Records Department is closed already. But then it lacked one of the X-Ray results so I was asked to go upstairs to get it. The X-Ray Department is open and I was able to get the reading.
When I came back down, the ambulance physician told me if its ok for her to look at the results so she could ensure we have everything. That’s when we discovered that the abstract is still not there after almost 12 hours since we expressed our intent of transferring. So we followed up on it. The resident said she is just going to print it and went away. Another thing we asked is if we could get a copy of the chart since the patient is an infant, I believe I have the right to look at my son’s medical chart for me to understand what happened and what they did. The nurse and the resident said they cannot give it to me since its Hospital Property. I reasoned out that it was my son’s record. They said they really cannot give it.
So abstract came. We are ready to go. But then they checked my son again and decided to nebulize him before we go. So now they can nebulize him I thought. Its only when are ready to transfer. I let them. We paid the bill to the counter. But when were about to go, we were asked for the release slip. I told them nothing was given to me. I was advised to go back to the counter to get it. When I went back to the cashier, the lady told me there’s I nothing endorsed to her. I asked her how we are going to transfer now if she will not give us the release slip. We paid everything and the ambulance is already there. She called the nurse’s station and talked to them. So we were given the release slip.
Before we leave, I said my apologies to Dra. Lemboriano for what happened between her and my sister in law. Because I still believe in god manners and that it was the most humane thing I could do in that situation. She snapped and said “Makakarating ho ito kay Dra. Mirasol”. I don’t know what she meant by that but I was not impressed with how she accepted my apology even if I am the one who should get her or your hospital’s apology.
When we reached The Medical City (TMC), I was a little relieved. After the handover process, I also thanked the OLLH resident who came with us. I told her to extend my thanks to the other staff. I got surprised when the doctors in the ER of TMC shook their head seeing my son. They even remarked how many holes my son got in his arms, hands and feet because of multiple insertions / extractions. They decided to just keep 2 “butterflies” as they call it there, one for the dextrose and one as a standby opening for extraction so they will not need to do another one. They immediately put him into other monitoring machines and gave him Albumin. They checked his Oxygen level, his BP, temperature and all. I don’t understand some of the instructions but I got this feeling that something is really serious with him. I hear them talk about what has and has not been done in OLLH. The doctor gave strict but clear instructions and seems to know what really the problem is and knows how to handle it.
At first, they talked to me and asked me to put my baby in a private room due to his condition. So we went ahead and reserve a room. But when I came back to the ER, they advised that based on what they see on my son, he will need to be in the Pediatric ICU. This confirmed my conclusion that something is really serious. The doctors talked to me and asked me to tell them what really happened and all. One this I noticed is that they identified first what type of virus my son got before they proceeded with all other treatment plans. He was immediately referred to 4 doctors, an Intensivist, a Pulmonologist, an Infection Specialist and of course the Pediatrician. That is the only time I felt my son is in good hands. That he will be ok soon. And he did.
As days go by, doctors explain things to me. Each step that they will be taking, providing me copies of the tests they are doing and ensuring that I understand what really is happening. In my understanding as a regular non-medical practitioner citizen, below are some of the things I noted as the difference between the treatment plans of the 2 hospitals:
- My son has a “working diagnosis” of Dengue Fever, Pneumonia and Amoebiasis as per OLLH. TMC confirmed as per their rigid tests that my son doesn’t have Amoebiasis. But he was given medicines for it, he was given medicines for diseases that are just on the “working diagnosis” stage. Working diagnosis for me means not yet confirmed, not yet determined. Further, the Infection Specialist in TMC asked me what kind of test was done to rule out Amoebiasis. I said fecalysis or stool exam. The doctor said Amoebiasis cannot be determined by just a simple stool test. Stool has to be cultured for hours up to 24 hours first before it can be finalized that it is indeed Amoebiasis. She also explained that naturally, feces will have bacteria and all that sort. So there are specific strains or types that would identify the Amoeba presence. There are also time when blood test is necessary just to rule this out. The TMC doctor ordered to stop the antibiotics given to my son for Amoebiasis.
- TMC identified what strain of Dengue Virus my son had before doing all the succeeding tests and administering medicines. OLLH did not as far as I know since I didn’t get any copy of any test results. Nothing was even explained to me. OLLH just do tests without telling the patient what it is for. Same goes in administering medicines. They just inject it but do not explain what it is for. In TMC, their tone of voice is almost asking for my permission if they can give the medicine.
- TMC Doctors and Nurses compute the dosage of the medicine they will administer based on the age and weight of the child. In OLLH, I don’t recall them doing this. In fact, the Infection Specialist in Medical City has ordered some of the antibiotics lowered, stopped and/or replaced due to the high dose of the medicines that were given to my son. Yes, he was given too much of what he is supposed to receive. I don’t know if this can be attributed to my son having a palpable liver. Because of this, he got Hepatitis. His liver was exhausted. Even the resident and the doctor confirmed that to me when they are trying to explain why my son has been referred to the pulmonologist in their effort perhaps to show to me that they are trying their best to save my son. This can be confirmed I believe by my son’s medical chart which unfortunately I am not allowed to see nor to get a copy because it’s the hospital’s property they said.
- When my son first bled in the OLLH ER, the resident immediately told me that there can be a possibility of blood transfusion. She ordered for blood typing and has already advised us to start asking around for blood donors. I am so called at that time so I did. I am so worried that my son will have blood transfusion. In TMC, when my son arrived in the ER, he is so sick. But they didn’t say a thing about blood transfusion. What they did is give my son Albumin. He was also put into the Oxygen Monitor among other things. OLLH doesn’t even have a thing to monitor whatever. In TMC, there’s a lot.
- My son had been inserted with syringe a couple of times in OLLH. In fact in all of the available veins. They will insert to try if the vein can hold the IV, if not they will take it out. This is every time they need to extract blood for tests. And tests are being done 2-3 times a day. You can just imagine how many insertions my son had in a day. It’s like they are cooking a beef stew and pricking the meat every time to check if its tender already or something. That’s what they did to my son. In TMC, what they did is just insert 1 butterfly syringe and put it on standby so they will just clean it and extract blood from it whenever needed. The existing IV would be for dextrose and medicines. They also put cardboards in it so it will not move or be removed by my son as they don’t want to add more holes.
- When my son started to swell, I reported that to the OLLH doctors and nurses. I also told him he is not urinating anymore. What they said is just to stop feeding my son. When the doctor visited my son, she said it’s just normal because of a third spacing stage or something. But nothing has been done about it. Before he got hospitalized, he had 9.5 KG weight. When he swelled he got 15KG. And nothing is being done about it because as they say it is just normal. In TMC, the doctors said, it is not. They even weighed my son twice and could not believe the weight. So what they did is give him diuretic medicines to eliminate the fluid. They monitored his urination cycle. They collect diapers and weigh it. In OLLH, they said swelling or edema is just normal.
- The doctor in OLLH just visited my son 2 or 3 times. The residents do not visit us. She went to our room to introduce herself, yes. But do not do rounds unless she is with the doctor. So not considered as visit of a resident per se. In TMC, we get visited by all doctors assigned and the residents 2-3 times a day. Sometimes even twice at night. The nurses are also always available. The nurse station has never been empty unlike in OLLH. The nurse would come in immediately after we press the button for help.
- In OLLH, the nurse station is often empty. The nurse would take forever to come in whenever the patients call them. The nurses in OLLH are also apathetic. They just get BP, temperature, and pulse rate, that’s all. They don’t even pay attention to the patient and seldom smile or initiate a conversation. When asked, they would often advise say they don’t know and to just go ahead and ask the resident. The nurses were also still in their college years. One of the nurse we asked is just in her sophomore or junior year and they already administer medicines. So no wonder why medicines sometimes get swapped and administered incorrectly in OLLH. In TMC, the nurses are pretty experienced (not students) and always have a smile on their face. They even look at the patient and ask around about things that are related to the patient’s status. In TMC, the nurses are not just contented in getting vital signs. They make sure they look and analyze the patient. That is why they are the first one to notice if there is something wrong with the patient. In OLLH, as I have advised them, I am always the first person to notice the difference with my son, I am always the first person to see the symptoms and that things are changing. I couldn’t explain those because I am not a medical practitioner but I know that things are starting to go wrong with my son. Yes I ought to be because I am the mother but if the nurses are examining him closely they would also notice and wouldn’t have to wait for us to report to them. They don’t even show a hint of empathy. They don’t even smile.
- The Medical City may be way advanced but they don’t talk about money all the time unlike in OLLH. When we reached TMC and were arranging our admission, we were short of money for the down payment on the Pedia ICU. But the admissions officer told us it’s OK, she will accept whatever amount. The credit department will just contact us about the bill. The important thing is to have the patient admitted. Wow, that was music to our ears. In OLLH, all we hear is the billing, the money, the final bill even if my son is in critical stage already, and it’s still about the money. How about the billing, you have to pay first, we can’t do this we have to settle the money matters first and all that stuff. If only I knew this is how your services were, I should have really brought my son to TMC since Day 1. It’s just that your hospital is the nearest hospital, private hospital for that matter that is closest to where we are at the time. A private hospital with limited machineries and apathetic staff.
The pediatrician also talked to me about what happened in OLLH. She advised me that she talked to one of the doctors she knew in OLLH and I think the training coordinator. I told her I am planning to write a letter of complaint but not necessarily filing a case because I must admit that its time consuming and I don’t have enough money for it. She agreed and persuaded me also so that somebody from OLLH would know and these things may be avoided in the future.
My son got discharged and recovered. The Medical City doctors and staff saved my son. They saved him from what OLLH has done or has not done to him. My whole family came back to Singapore. We wanted to forget what happened but when people ask us of how things are we could not help but recall everything. I decided to forget about it but I keep on having nightmares about his time in OLLH. The image of him lying in your hospital bed haunts me in my dreams. As if telling me it’s my fault because I decided to bring him to your hospital, the nearest hospital to where we stayed back then.
But that’s not all. My son is having nightmares too. He would usually wake up in the middle of the night crying. It’s as if he remembers everything too. And just the other day when we’re trying to put his diapers, me, my mother and my husband surrounded him. He cried so badly as if remembering the times when the nurses of OLLH flocked on him to extract blood or administer medicines. I remember kids would always cry all at the same time when the group of nurses (around 20) visits their room every morning to start the shift with the training instructor. Kids somehow developed a phobia of people in white. He developed a phobia of nurses and doctors. And when I compare this with our stay in TMC, this never happened. I would have to give credit to the architecture maybe. But more than anything else, it’s the whole process, the whole experience is much better in <span>The Medical City</span> than in OLLH.
This letter may really be longer to what it could have been just to tell you what happened. But I wanted to give you all the details as everything is still fresh in my mind. The fear is still in my mind. The pain is still in my heart. This is maybe the reason why I and my son could not forget. Because I think somebody has to know. Somebody has to fix their fences and clean up their mess. And to my surprise when I decided to write you and look for your contact information online, I stumble upon articles about your hospital and the patient who died because of your inadequacies. I have also heard of other people’s stories about your hospital; about how they were treated there; about how others died there. Yeah, these maybe just hearsays but this made me realize that I am not the only one who experienced it. I am not the only one your hospital and your staff have aggravated. There is a lot more out there. And there can be more in the future. So I am wondering what your management is doing to improve on your service. What do you do to make sure your patients get the right treatment?
I am not expecting you to return or respond to my letter. But if you do, you can refer to my contact details below to give you an assurance that I am not just a bogus person trying to stain your hospital’s name. And just so you know, I am planning on posting this to my blog so other people would be aware and would be able to avoid your hospital as much as they could. I am not trying to slander you but I think it is my right to tell my story. It is my right to share my experiences. And if ever my friend decides to do the same, it’s not my responsibility anymore.
I may just be one of the many people who have been aggravated by your staff’s incapacity and apathy. But I hope my one voice would be loud enough for your management to hear. The thousand words I have written here would be enough for you to pay attention. My experience would be enough for you to start planning for improvement. I hope I would be enough to save other patients from dying because of your ineffectiveness. I hope my letter is enough to save your hospital from another lawsuit in the future.
Lehani Francisco
10 Jalan Uji Fuyong Estate
Singapore 678369
+6596407490
