20 Nov 2009 News blackout on KKH drug blunder

[Watchman]

News blackout on KKH drug blunder

November 20, 2009 by Our Correspondent
Filed under Top News

Written by our Correspondent

After almost a week, there are still no updates on the progress of the two victims of the KKH drug blunder.

Following the stunning revelation that two patients – Mrs Ng and Mrs Poh were given an overdose of chemotherapy drugs over hours instead of days, the state media has imposed a news blackout on subsequent developments in the incident.

Mr Ng Chun Kiat had criticized the way KKH has handled the situation and questioned the “professionalism” of its staff on his blog which was not reported by the media.

Neither do we know the progress of the two patients. KKH has refrained from commenting on the matter so far.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan laid the blame for the error squarely on the design of the pump, but failed to provide the public with any photos of the two pumps.

The entire issue is now swept under the carpet as if nothing has happened in the first place in the hope that it will soon fade away from the public consciousness.

In the meantime, Mr Ng wrote that his mother is now experiencing “discoloration of the tongue and finger nails”.

His mother’s predicament has won widespread sympathy from netizens who castigated KKH for its “cavalier” attitude.

Mr Ng is still angry at the two pharmacists responsible for the error for not apologizing to his mother personally while they had already apologized to the other victim, Mrs Poh.

In his latest blog entry on 19 November 2009, Mr Ng wrote”

“While chatting with my mum after work yesterday, she too felt a sense of injustice and inequality when both herself and Mrs Yip both were victims of the same blunder, yet for some reason(s), she never got an apology from the 2 pharmacist. It’s not a matter of whether the apology meant anything at this point in time when the drug already would have affected the victims. But knowing that they did apologize to Mrs Yip and not to her, made everyone of us feel sick in the stomach.”

Medication errors are not uncommon in Singapore’s public hospitals except that they seldom make the headlines.

The medication error at KKH would not have surfaced if not a relative of Mrs Ng tipped off a Straits Times journalist who then approach KKH for permission to interview the patients.

The state media could have followed up on the case by interviewing the patients and the families if they agree to do so, as well as doctors, pharmacists and nurses of KKH.

The journalists should have taken a photo of the pumps and interview the manufacturer and other users if similar mistakes have occurred in the past.

This is called “investigative journalism” which is sorely lacking in the Singapore media.

Due to the political sensitivity of the case which may erode public confidence in Singapore’s public hospitals, the media may be given instructions to “close” the case quietly.

In a modern, healthy and functioning electoral democracy, the media is supposed to serve as a watchdog to check on the government and not as its lapdog.

The Singapore government’s intolerance of independent and critical journalism is highlighted by its refusal to renew freelance journalist Benjamin Bland’s visa.

Bland had written a few critical commentaries of Singapore in the Economist and The Asia Sentinel.

Without an independent and free press, Singaporeans will never know whether its government is really as good and great as it claims.