<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Wife dies donating kidney to him, man sues hospital
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>He claims surgeons botched the operation; earlier inquiry concluded her death was an accident </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By K. C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent
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Following the death of his wife (in photo), Mr Singh (in glasses) is seeking damages to support their children (from left) Trinisha, Jesmin Pah and Balvinder. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A MAN who gained a kidney but lost his wife following a 2005 organ transplant has sued two doctors and the hospital where the surgery was performed.
Mr Surender Singh, a 38-year-old father of three, claims that specialists from the National University Hospital (NUH) botched the relatively routine procedure, causing his wife to bleed to death internally.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>The surgery went smoothly, and Madam Kaur was shifted to a general ward. But her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. She died less than six hours after surgery.
NUH 'will provide all help required for trial'
RESPONDING to Straits Times queries, a National University Hospital (NUH) spokesman said: 'We empathise with the family of the late Madam Narindar Kaur. This is not the first time that the medical care rendered to the deceased has been considered by a court of law.
'In February 2007, a Coroner's Inquiry was conducted where details of the sequence of events leading to the demise of the deceased were reviewed by a State-appointed independent medical expert.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>He is seeking unspecified damages and money to support the couple's children, among other things.
NUH and the two specialists who conducted the transplant are denying the claims and have engaged lawyers from heavyweight firms Allen & Gledhill as well as Rajah & Tann. Mr Singh, through lawyer S. Pallaniappan of Straits Law Practice, asked last week for hearing dates next month.
Among other things, the case is expected to cast a spotlight on the 2007 coroner's report into the death of Madam Narindar Kaur, who was 33. The report said that in February 2005, Madam Kaur donated a kidney to her husband, who had been suffering from kidney failure since 1999.
The surgery went smoothly, and 21/2 hours later, she was shifted from a recovery room to a general ward. But her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she began to bleed internally. She died less than three hours after being moved.
The coroner's report said clips meant to tie off a major artery to the removed kidney slipped off, causing blood to spill into her abdomen.
Associate Professor Chia Sing Joo, a independant medical expert, testified during the probe that Madam Kaur's condition turned unexpectedly. He concluded that there had been no 'medical mismanagement' by the hospital's medical team. But he questioned whether doctors did everything possible to prevent the bleeding after surgery.
State Coroner Tan Boon Heng labelled the death an accident, saying the bleeding happened 'suddenly and unexpectedly'.
He also made it clear that there was no criminal blame but added it was 'best left to the next-of-kin to determine if any civil proceedings ought to be commenced'.
Mr Singh filed the claim early last year.
He alleges that surgeons failed to properly secure his wife's artery with the clips and moved her too soon.
The coroner's report said kidney transplants are considered very safe for both parties with only one death out of 3,000 kidney donors worldwide.
Last week, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said three cases of alleged negligence against public hospitals have gone to court in the last five years. But none of the hospitals nor the doctors involved were held responsible.
About eight cases yearly reach an out-of-court settlement through mediation, he said in a written response to a parliamentary question by MP Lee Bee Wah. 'Some adverse outcomes do happen in hospitals, despite the best efforts, and may not be due to medical negligence,' he said then. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>He claims surgeons botched the operation; earlier inquiry concluded her death was an accident </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By K. C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Following the death of his wife (in photo), Mr Singh (in glasses) is seeking damages to support their children (from left) Trinisha, Jesmin Pah and Balvinder. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A MAN who gained a kidney but lost his wife following a 2005 organ transplant has sued two doctors and the hospital where the surgery was performed.
Mr Surender Singh, a 38-year-old father of three, claims that specialists from the National University Hospital (NUH) botched the relatively routine procedure, causing his wife to bleed to death internally.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>The surgery went smoothly, and Madam Kaur was shifted to a general ward. But her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. She died less than six hours after surgery.
NUH 'will provide all help required for trial'
RESPONDING to Straits Times queries, a National University Hospital (NUH) spokesman said: 'We empathise with the family of the late Madam Narindar Kaur. This is not the first time that the medical care rendered to the deceased has been considered by a court of law.
'In February 2007, a Coroner's Inquiry was conducted where details of the sequence of events leading to the demise of the deceased were reviewed by a State-appointed independent medical expert.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>He is seeking unspecified damages and money to support the couple's children, among other things.
NUH and the two specialists who conducted the transplant are denying the claims and have engaged lawyers from heavyweight firms Allen & Gledhill as well as Rajah & Tann. Mr Singh, through lawyer S. Pallaniappan of Straits Law Practice, asked last week for hearing dates next month.
Among other things, the case is expected to cast a spotlight on the 2007 coroner's report into the death of Madam Narindar Kaur, who was 33. The report said that in February 2005, Madam Kaur donated a kidney to her husband, who had been suffering from kidney failure since 1999.
The surgery went smoothly, and 21/2 hours later, she was shifted from a recovery room to a general ward. But her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she began to bleed internally. She died less than three hours after being moved.
The coroner's report said clips meant to tie off a major artery to the removed kidney slipped off, causing blood to spill into her abdomen.
Associate Professor Chia Sing Joo, a independant medical expert, testified during the probe that Madam Kaur's condition turned unexpectedly. He concluded that there had been no 'medical mismanagement' by the hospital's medical team. But he questioned whether doctors did everything possible to prevent the bleeding after surgery.
State Coroner Tan Boon Heng labelled the death an accident, saying the bleeding happened 'suddenly and unexpectedly'.
He also made it clear that there was no criminal blame but added it was 'best left to the next-of-kin to determine if any civil proceedings ought to be commenced'.
Mr Singh filed the claim early last year.
He alleges that surgeons failed to properly secure his wife's artery with the clips and moved her too soon.
The coroner's report said kidney transplants are considered very safe for both parties with only one death out of 3,000 kidney donors worldwide.
Last week, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said three cases of alleged negligence against public hospitals have gone to court in the last five years. But none of the hospitals nor the doctors involved were held responsible.
About eight cases yearly reach an out-of-court settlement through mediation, he said in a written response to a parliamentary question by MP Lee Bee Wah. 'Some adverse outcomes do happen in hospitals, despite the best efforts, and may not be due to medical negligence,' he said then. [email protected]
