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Jan 8, 2010
Strangers helped dad, 80, but not doctor
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MY FATHER is 80 years old and suffered a sudden back sprain while walking at IMM shopping mall on Wednesday. Fortunately, two kind men carried him down the stairs and into a cab to head home. In great pain, he inched his way home from the cab with the help of our maid.
After a shower, he could not even get out of the bathroom by himself due to the excruciating pain and weakness in his legs. I decided to take him to Toh Guan Family Clinic, in the block next to ours. As it was 15 minutes to closing time, I sent our maid to register with the clinic first.
Ten minutes later, seeing how difficult my father found it to inch his way to the main door, I went to the clinic myself to explain the situation and ask for the doctor to make a house call.
The assistant told me the fee would be expensive - $150 - but I said I had no choice even though my home was in the next block. After a few minutes, the assistant checked with the doctor and told me he was not free to make a house call. It was already 9pm then and I had no other clinic to seek help from.
I understand the doctor is not obliged to make a house call, but it would have been so helpful if he had. An injection and some pain killer would have eased the pain in the night for my dad. At least the doctor could have given some advice, such as calling an ambulance, instead of simply saying 'not free'.
The two strangers who helped my father at IMM were also busy people, but they were more compassionate and selfless than the man who took the Hippocratic Oath.
Chan Kok Keong
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Jan 8, 2010
Strangers helped dad, 80, but not doctor
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
MY FATHER is 80 years old and suffered a sudden back sprain while walking at IMM shopping mall on Wednesday. Fortunately, two kind men carried him down the stairs and into a cab to head home. In great pain, he inched his way home from the cab with the help of our maid.
After a shower, he could not even get out of the bathroom by himself due to the excruciating pain and weakness in his legs. I decided to take him to Toh Guan Family Clinic, in the block next to ours. As it was 15 minutes to closing time, I sent our maid to register with the clinic first.
Ten minutes later, seeing how difficult my father found it to inch his way to the main door, I went to the clinic myself to explain the situation and ask for the doctor to make a house call.
The assistant told me the fee would be expensive - $150 - but I said I had no choice even though my home was in the next block. After a few minutes, the assistant checked with the doctor and told me he was not free to make a house call. It was already 9pm then and I had no other clinic to seek help from.
I understand the doctor is not obliged to make a house call, but it would have been so helpful if he had. An injection and some pain killer would have eased the pain in the night for my dad. At least the doctor could have given some advice, such as calling an ambulance, instead of simply saying 'not free'.
The two strangers who helped my father at IMM were also busy people, but they were more compassionate and selfless than the man who took the Hippocratic Oath.
Chan Kok Keong
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