4 bad experiences in Singapore
PXXXXic healthcare
1: Pinoy nurses trying to draw blood from the back of my hand, she couldn't find my vein and just repeatedly put in the syringe and swung it around with the needle already inside trying to find a nearby vein. My hand had multiple holes and she asked why was i looking pale. Early in the morning, fasting since 10pm the previous night and this type of treatment did not add colour to me.
Doctor keeps insisting i take certain expensive treatments and kept looking at the scale of my medical coverage, trying to max everything and ordering a battery of costs. Kept commenting on my watch and how come the hands are not in sync (turned out the spring was broken, tong building guys fixed it)
GlXXXXgles hospital
2. Wife was sent to hospital and ready to give birth, nurse who spoke with a Northern chinese accent told us that the water has not broken and we can go home.
Luckily i was a responsible guy and knowing the doctor was already on the way (it was very early in the morning), we decided to wait for him rather than go home as instructed. It was a life saver as the doctor checked and told us the fluid did break and luckily we didn't go home else the baby would have been in grave danger.
Dental clinic in Paragon Orchard (even serves coffee)
3. Was impacted by a lot of tragedies, got withdrawn and depressed for a while. Didn't take care of my health and weight dropped 30kg in a year.
Had to go to dentist for help.
Very expensive dentist, panel dentist by my company's insurance plans so no choice.
Took some flouride cream and applied to the front of my tooth, charged 120.
Total costs including all round dental xrays was 890. For scaling, cleaning, putting on flouride cream and xrays.
Dentist keeps insisting i take out all my teeth on the upper and lower sides, basically maximizing my dental claims
across 2 years to take out and do bone marrow transplants and implants. Straightaway insisting i remove almost all my
teeth without looking at the xrays.
3 years later, my teeth are still here and successfully took chinese TCM meds (they REALLY work) and Yunnan toothpaste to stop the gums receding. Now without their recommendations, my gums do not bleed and have stretched back.
KXXX Hospital
4. My father in law was warded there, the hospital denied all knowledge and covered up when it turned out that they swung him hard when he refused to bathe, given that he was in pain and had a lot of needles sticking out of him. He told us about it when we visited, hospital insisted he was having dementia and thus was talking nonsense. In the end, they played my brother in law against us as my brother in law, first thing he did when we convened a call with the hospital, he told them its a small matter, he is the one in charge, i am an outsider and basically handed out name cards (he is a contractor) to everyone there. With the stage pulled out from under me, i could not do anything else. As an "outsider" i have done my part and the abuse that happened, i just could not do anything more. Basically everyone worked to cover up things, i worry for the elderly who suffer silently.
Unfortunately, due to over work and a lot of friends requirements for assistance (toilet leaks above, being sued, developer issues, boat issues, lend out cars), i had a fainting spell and was sent, of all places to this hospital. Saw a lot of old people who were ignored in the emergency sections, i fully understand that hospitals are overworked etc but more should be done to increase the staffing and relieve the pressure from the staff. Don't get me wrong, i don't blame individuals but those who have power and sway over medical systems and infrastructure, hospitals need to make money i understand but running it like a system? No way.
My 2 cents, always insist that they learn some english for old folks, all the nurses were deliberately ignoring the old people who were NBM and of course who urinated on their beds next to me. Cries were unanswered, it felt like a scene from a battlefield with the dead and dying crying out for help. Luckily i managed to get attention for them and got them cleaned up. The smell, cries and experience were indeed terrible. They kept pushing my gurney back and forth, to the xray room and then remembered i needed to be dressed in appropriate smock. Then pushed back and forth and they pushed my gurney hard against the wall. My fault for creating more work for them i guess as i really tried to help the old around me.
Again, i don't blame anyone but there is seriously something wrong with the medical field in Singapore, with the rise in demands in medical tourism, general uplifting of skillsets and even specialisation in skills, neighbouring countries are going to give us a run for our proverbial monies.