Jul 22, 2010
A question of communication
Official replies must enlighten and not obfuscate
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I AM dismayed by Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) opaque reply ('Sorry, says SGH'; July 10), to Ms Chong Shiau Wei's complaint ('Baffled by SGH doctor's refusal to see her'; July 10) about the unprofessional way she was attended to by a hospital doctor.
After a detailed account of her unpleasant experience, the least SGH could have done was to demonstrate some empathy and sincere regret over the poor service given.
The hospital's three-sentence reply read like a computer-generated response to a routine service complaint. Such impersonal handling of complaints raises questions about the quality of dedication and care for its patients. In a respected but demanding profession like medicine, where patient care is a primary concern, it is imperative that hospital staff go the extra mile to show empathy, compassion and concern for their patients' well-being.
Clearly, the 'commitment' SGH promised in its inadequate reply is missing.
Kaviraj Nadarajah
A question of communication
Official replies must enlighten and not obfuscate
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
I AM dismayed by Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) opaque reply ('Sorry, says SGH'; July 10), to Ms Chong Shiau Wei's complaint ('Baffled by SGH doctor's refusal to see her'; July 10) about the unprofessional way she was attended to by a hospital doctor.
After a detailed account of her unpleasant experience, the least SGH could have done was to demonstrate some empathy and sincere regret over the poor service given.
The hospital's three-sentence reply read like a computer-generated response to a routine service complaint. Such impersonal handling of complaints raises questions about the quality of dedication and care for its patients. In a respected but demanding profession like medicine, where patient care is a primary concern, it is imperative that hospital staff go the extra mile to show empathy, compassion and concern for their patients' well-being.
Clearly, the 'commitment' SGH promised in its inadequate reply is missing.
Kaviraj Nadarajah