Singapore Expats

A family friend is looking into getting a knee surgery while she's in Singapore. Back in the US, I know where to check for any medical malpractice suits against doctors. Does anyone know if there is a database/index that lets you search for such suits? Is there perhaps a Singapore version of Westlaw or LexisNexis? What do the locals do if they want to investigate the background of a particular doctor?

Thanks, any answer or recommendations would be appreciated! If you don't feel comfortable giving names, do message me privately.

In Singapore, doctors are still "Gods in White".
Nobody questions them, and lawsuits are almost unheard of.

For anyone still interested. After some digging, I discovered you can search a database called LawNet to see if there are any negligence suit against your doctor. Now I just need a subscription to it.

beppi wrote:In Singapore, doctors are still "Gods in White".
Nobody questions them, and lawsuits are almost unheard of.

A relative of mine went in hospital with a hernia problem. They noticed a tumour on the liver, didn't mention it, but - they say - wrote twice to the home to say it needed following up.

The same relative went back to hospital some time later with a bladder/adominal problem. Again the tumour was noted but they didn't say anything as 'that is not why the patient is here' (no no really, I'm not making this up).

The patient was only finally diagnosed maybe 5 years later during a routine health-check with the family GP but by then the tumour was terminal and the person is no longer here. The family are currently suing the hospital.

'Gods in white'. Phhh... sure.

From my experience, doctors here are mostly concerned with just what a patient came in complaining with. Several times, I come to see the doctor and just gives medicine without even explaining what's wrong with me or how to keep it from happening again even after me asking. I even once came in told the doctor what my diagnosis was and how I came to that conclusion and he just agreed with me and prescribed some drugs without confirming my diagnosis.

my complaint is that when i go to clinics here, they give me several medicines..one for each ailment when they can prescribe 1 drug for all ailments..plus most of the time they prescribe drugs that arent very effective which result to me going back for more consultation.

My 7 yrs old daughter used to have severe urinirary track infection. Her symptoms were high fever, used to be above 40C. We went to one of the reputed private hospital for treatment, this went on for about 8-9 months and I dicided to take her back to my country for treatement. Had several diagnostic tests and doctors concluded that she had Vesicoureteral reflux, she underwent an operation and everything was settled, total cost about 2k sing dollers, where as here I spent about 10K sing dollers just for nothing.

Same here, and on multiple occasions.

Not that they agreed with my Google-based self-diagnosis, but in that as much as I tried to give as much background information, they were always quick to jump to their own conclusion with partial information, and did not try to see the patient as a whole.

For example, not linking headaches with bruxism. and a few other cases.

"Specialists".

nakatago wrote:From my experience, doctors here are mostly concerned with just what a patient came in complaining with. Several times, I come to see the doctor and just gives medicine without even explaining what's wrong with me or how to keep it from happening again even after me asking. I even once came in told the doctor what my diagnosis was and how I came to that conclusion and he just agreed with me and prescribed some drugs without confirming my diagnosis.