https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/c...ashes-ntuc-income-wholly-unreasonable-conduct
singapore
The court ordered NTUC Income to pay $122,889.52 for medical expenses, even those covered by MediShield Life.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Danial Zahrin
PUBLISHED ON October 02, 2025 9:18 AM BY Selina Lum
SINGAPORE — A district court awarded more than $417,000 in damages to the family of an elderly man who suffered severe brain injuries from a traffic accident, lambasting NTUC Income over its refusal to pay certain claims.
Deputy Registrar Kim Bum Soo made it clear that his judgment, which was published on Oct 1, documents the insurer's "wholly unreasonable behaviour" and "represents the court's unmixed dissatisfaction with the manner in which NTUC Income has conducted itself".
He said: "NTUC Income's unfounded objections — it refused to provide explanations for some of its objections even when pointedly questioned — read like the sort of casually impersonal stonewalling that some would associate with the worst administrative processes."
The case concerned Mr Ko Wah, who was 78 years when he was knocked down by a van at the basement carpark of an industrial building in Toh Guan Road East in June 2019, leaving him bedridden and mentally incapacitated.
In 2021, Mr Ko's son Jonathan, in his capacity as the administrator of his father's estate, sued the driver of the van, construction worker Samikannu Manickavasakar, and building contractor SJ Universe.
Mr Jonathan Ko, who was represented by Mr Tan Jee Ming, sought damages for his father's pain and suffering and loss of amenities, loss of earnings, medical expenses, and other accident-related expenses.
NTUC Income took over conduct of the defence, as the insurer would have had to foot the bill for any compensation the defendants were ordered to pay.
Mr Ko Wah died in October 2024, before closing arguments on the quantum of damages were submitted.
In his judgment, the deputy registrar said the insurer failed to give a credible reason for its "callous and meritless" objection to paying for some of the medical expenses that were covered by payouts from MediShield Life.
He rejected its "remarkably thin" arguments on this subject, and ordered the insurer to pay $122,889.52 as compensation for medical expenses, regardless of whether they were paid by MediShield Life, covered by MediSave, or paid by cash, credit card or debit card.
He noted that on its face, the claim for medical expenses that had already been covered by Mr Ko's MediShield Life policy looked like double recovery.
However, an exception to the rule against double recovery applies when a plaintiff recovers money under an insurance policy for which he has paid the premiums.
He found that the insurance exception applies in this case because MediShield is effectively a nationalised insurance scheme.
The deputy registrar also found it inexplicable that NTUC Income staunchly refused to pay for ambulance-related expenses totalling $1,992, despite being willing to pay for Mr Ko's hospital expenses.
Allowing the claim, he said there was nothing unreasonable about calling an ambulance to transport a bedridden man for his hospital visits.
"It boggled the mind why NTUC Income would have taken such an unyielding stance over something so obviously necessary," he said.
He noted that each of the ambulance rides between September 2019 and May 2023 were backed up by hospital invoices and that Mr Ko took them for perfectly legitimate reasons.
The deputy registrar also rejected NTUC Income's argument that the claim for pain and suffering, and loss of amenities, should be completely denied because Mr Ko had been comatose the entire time, and could not have felt any pain and suffering.
He noted there was clear evidence that there were periods of time when Mr Ko was alert and appeared to understand simple instructions.
He added that the uncontroversial legal position was that an injured person who is unable to feel pain and suffering is still entitled to damages for loss of amenities.
He awarded $210,000 for pain and suffering and $8,000 for loss of amenities. Other sums awarded include $30,024.96 for loss of pre-trial earnings, which is the income Mr Ko Wah would have earned in 2019 and 2020 from his job as a security guard, had it not been for the accident.
Court documents show that the driver was sentenced to a week in jail and banned from driving for 18 months in 2020 for causing grievous hurt by a negligent act.
singapore
Court awards over $417k in accident claim, lashes NTUC Income for 'wholly unreasonable' conduct
The court ordered NTUC Income to pay $122,889.52 for medical expenses, even those covered by MediShield Life.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Danial Zahrin
PUBLISHED ON October 02, 2025 9:18 AM BY Selina Lum
SINGAPORE — A district court awarded more than $417,000 in damages to the family of an elderly man who suffered severe brain injuries from a traffic accident, lambasting NTUC Income over its refusal to pay certain claims.
Deputy Registrar Kim Bum Soo made it clear that his judgment, which was published on Oct 1, documents the insurer's "wholly unreasonable behaviour" and "represents the court's unmixed dissatisfaction with the manner in which NTUC Income has conducted itself".
He said: "NTUC Income's unfounded objections — it refused to provide explanations for some of its objections even when pointedly questioned — read like the sort of casually impersonal stonewalling that some would associate with the worst administrative processes."
The case concerned Mr Ko Wah, who was 78 years when he was knocked down by a van at the basement carpark of an industrial building in Toh Guan Road East in June 2019, leaving him bedridden and mentally incapacitated.
In 2021, Mr Ko's son Jonathan, in his capacity as the administrator of his father's estate, sued the driver of the van, construction worker Samikannu Manickavasakar, and building contractor SJ Universe.
Mr Jonathan Ko, who was represented by Mr Tan Jee Ming, sought damages for his father's pain and suffering and loss of amenities, loss of earnings, medical expenses, and other accident-related expenses.
NTUC Income took over conduct of the defence, as the insurer would have had to foot the bill for any compensation the defendants were ordered to pay.
Mr Ko Wah died in October 2024, before closing arguments on the quantum of damages were submitted.
In his judgment, the deputy registrar said the insurer failed to give a credible reason for its "callous and meritless" objection to paying for some of the medical expenses that were covered by payouts from MediShield Life.
He rejected its "remarkably thin" arguments on this subject, and ordered the insurer to pay $122,889.52 as compensation for medical expenses, regardless of whether they were paid by MediShield Life, covered by MediSave, or paid by cash, credit card or debit card.
He noted that on its face, the claim for medical expenses that had already been covered by Mr Ko's MediShield Life policy looked like double recovery.
However, an exception to the rule against double recovery applies when a plaintiff recovers money under an insurance policy for which he has paid the premiums.
He found that the insurance exception applies in this case because MediShield is effectively a nationalised insurance scheme.
The deputy registrar also found it inexplicable that NTUC Income staunchly refused to pay for ambulance-related expenses totalling $1,992, despite being willing to pay for Mr Ko's hospital expenses.
Allowing the claim, he said there was nothing unreasonable about calling an ambulance to transport a bedridden man for his hospital visits.
"It boggled the mind why NTUC Income would have taken such an unyielding stance over something so obviously necessary," he said.
He noted that each of the ambulance rides between September 2019 and May 2023 were backed up by hospital invoices and that Mr Ko took them for perfectly legitimate reasons.
The deputy registrar also rejected NTUC Income's argument that the claim for pain and suffering, and loss of amenities, should be completely denied because Mr Ko had been comatose the entire time, and could not have felt any pain and suffering.
He noted there was clear evidence that there were periods of time when Mr Ko was alert and appeared to understand simple instructions.
He added that the uncontroversial legal position was that an injured person who is unable to feel pain and suffering is still entitled to damages for loss of amenities.
He awarded $210,000 for pain and suffering and $8,000 for loss of amenities. Other sums awarded include $30,024.96 for loss of pre-trial earnings, which is the income Mr Ko Wah would have earned in 2019 and 2020 from his job as a security guard, had it not been for the accident.
Court documents show that the driver was sentenced to a week in jail and banned from driving for 18 months in 2020 for causing grievous hurt by a negligent act.
