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Parents sue doc, KKH over teen's death
Patient died a day before scheduled treatment for leukaemia
By K. C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent
THE parents of a teenage leukaemia patient, who died five days after he was admitted into KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), are suing the hospital and the attending doctor for alleged negligence.
The couple are arguing that their son Cao Yuanchi, then 14, should have received appropriate treatment sooner, given how gravely ill he was.
The hospital and Dr Chan Mui Yoke, a senior consultant, are disputing the claims and mounting their defence.
Yuanchi, a student at Raffles Institution (RI), was admitted to the hospital on Jan 13 last year with bruises on his right ankle and knee, rashes and fever.
The diagnosis was confirmed two days later: He had a rare form of blood cancer known as acute promyeloctic leukaemia (APL), and was slated for chemotherapy and a treatment using all-trans retinoic acid (Atra).
But the treatment plan, discussed with his parents on Jan 15 along with the diagnosis, could not start immediately, because it emerged that the boy was also battling a bacterial infection.
That had to be treated first. The treatment for his leukaemia was thus pushed back to Jan 19.
At the meeting with the doctor, his parents were told that Yuanchi faced a high risk of bleeding because of the APL.
The boy never got started on chemotherapy on Jan 19 as scheduled. He died the day before, from massive bleeding in the brain caused by the leukaemia.
His parents, Mr Cao Shengfa and Madam Ma Wenying, are now claiming that they were not informed of the risks tied to withholding treatment for APL for four days while their son was treated for the bacterial infection.
They said in court papers filed that the tests done by the hospital should have made it clear that their son was a high- risk patient and should have been appropriately treated.
At issue in the case, therefore, is whether the teenager could have been treated earlier and his death avoided.
Mr Cao and Madam Ma claimed through their lawyer Lee Mong Jen that the standard textbook treatment for APL would have involved using Atra.
The hospital and Dr Chan's position is that the case was a rare one and presented a number of challenges that had to be managed.
The hospital, through its lawyer Kuah Boon Theng, said Dr Chan had taken into account the risk factors associated with the treatment, in setting up the treatment plan for Yuanchi.
Dr Chan, according to defence papers filed by her lawyer Lek Siang Pheng, has 15 years of experience with childhood cancers, and had advised the parents of the risks.
But Mr Cao and Madam Ma countered that the defendants did not arrange for the Atra treatment, the standard medical treatment, until a private paediatric oncologist the couple hired for a second opinion asked for it on Jan 18.
The couple are seeking some $1.8 million in damages, including the loss of dependency claims.
They pointed out that their only son was a scholarship student at RI and would have eventually supported them as a successful professional.
A pre-trial conference was held at the High Court on Monday.
The hospital's head of paediatric haematology and oncology, Associate Professor Tan Ah Moy, said yesterday that all parties are considering how the matter can be amicably resolved. Talks are on.
Prof Tan, a senior consultant at the hospital, described APL as a rare, serious form of cancer which needs urgent tending to.
But she added: 'Chemotherapy for all forms of leukaemia has its inherent risks. So it's important to stabilise the patient's condition before starting treatment.'
[email protected]
Patient died a day before scheduled treatment for leukaemia
By K. C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent
THE parents of a teenage leukaemia patient, who died five days after he was admitted into KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), are suing the hospital and the attending doctor for alleged negligence.
The couple are arguing that their son Cao Yuanchi, then 14, should have received appropriate treatment sooner, given how gravely ill he was.
The hospital and Dr Chan Mui Yoke, a senior consultant, are disputing the claims and mounting their defence.
Yuanchi, a student at Raffles Institution (RI), was admitted to the hospital on Jan 13 last year with bruises on his right ankle and knee, rashes and fever.
The diagnosis was confirmed two days later: He had a rare form of blood cancer known as acute promyeloctic leukaemia (APL), and was slated for chemotherapy and a treatment using all-trans retinoic acid (Atra).
But the treatment plan, discussed with his parents on Jan 15 along with the diagnosis, could not start immediately, because it emerged that the boy was also battling a bacterial infection.
That had to be treated first. The treatment for his leukaemia was thus pushed back to Jan 19.
At the meeting with the doctor, his parents were told that Yuanchi faced a high risk of bleeding because of the APL.
The boy never got started on chemotherapy on Jan 19 as scheduled. He died the day before, from massive bleeding in the brain caused by the leukaemia.
His parents, Mr Cao Shengfa and Madam Ma Wenying, are now claiming that they were not informed of the risks tied to withholding treatment for APL for four days while their son was treated for the bacterial infection.
They said in court papers filed that the tests done by the hospital should have made it clear that their son was a high- risk patient and should have been appropriately treated.
At issue in the case, therefore, is whether the teenager could have been treated earlier and his death avoided.
Mr Cao and Madam Ma claimed through their lawyer Lee Mong Jen that the standard textbook treatment for APL would have involved using Atra.
The hospital and Dr Chan's position is that the case was a rare one and presented a number of challenges that had to be managed.
The hospital, through its lawyer Kuah Boon Theng, said Dr Chan had taken into account the risk factors associated with the treatment, in setting up the treatment plan for Yuanchi.
Dr Chan, according to defence papers filed by her lawyer Lek Siang Pheng, has 15 years of experience with childhood cancers, and had advised the parents of the risks.
But Mr Cao and Madam Ma countered that the defendants did not arrange for the Atra treatment, the standard medical treatment, until a private paediatric oncologist the couple hired for a second opinion asked for it on Jan 18.
The couple are seeking some $1.8 million in damages, including the loss of dependency claims.
They pointed out that their only son was a scholarship student at RI and would have eventually supported them as a successful professional.
A pre-trial conference was held at the High Court on Monday.
The hospital's head of paediatric haematology and oncology, Associate Professor Tan Ah Moy, said yesterday that all parties are considering how the matter can be amicably resolved. Talks are on.
Prof Tan, a senior consultant at the hospital, described APL as a rare, serious form of cancer which needs urgent tending to.
But she added: 'Chemotherapy for all forms of leukaemia has its inherent risks. So it's important to stabilise the patient's condition before starting treatment.'
[email protected]
