Heartache Over a Hospital Exit: A Lawyer’s Battle for Justice
It was just three weeks after a 74‑year‑old woman’s heart attack that her life came to a tragic end in Singapore’s Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). Her son has now turned the residual sorrow into a legal file, suing the hospital and three doctors for an astonishing $800,000 in damages.
Who was Madam Tan?
- Age: 74
- Medical baggage: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease
- Heartbeat gone awry during a shower—an event that turned anyone’s stomach
After the heart‑attack, she was pushed onto the intensive‑care unit suffering brain damage that eventually took her life on 13 May 2018.
The Legal Heat‑Up
Enter Chia Soo Kiang, 47, a public servant at the National Library Board. In 2019 (that’s four long years after the tragedy), he filed a lawsuit that claims negligence from TTSH and three doctors:
- Withholding Madam Tan’s essential meds for her heart condition and diabetes
- Not referring her to specialists when it was clearly needed
- Letting an unskilled intern nurse handle her— which, according to the claim, delayed the serious emergency response
The Courtroom Drama
The High Court opened its curtain on Monday, 15 Aug, with the first set of arguments. A full panel of 30 witnesses is set to walk the witness stand. Six for the plaintiff (Mr Chia) and a whopping twenty‑four for the hospital and doctors.
Mr Chia’s attorney, Mr Clarence Lun, blasted the hospital’s handling:
“Despite the doctors being fully aware of the patient’s medical history, they treated her with a chilling level of indifference. They let an untrained intern nurse manage her—an action that ripped her collapse and delayed any real rescue.”
Defending the Surgeons
On the other side, TTSH and the trio of doctors—Dr Dorai Raj D. Appadorai, Dr Lee Wei Sheng, and Dr Ranjana Acharaya—are represented by Ms Mar Seow Hwei. They are standing firm that the patient was treated in line with accepted standards.
Key points they highlight:
- Stopping aspirin and anti‑hypertensives was a legitimate precaution given her septic state and low haemoglobin.
- Switching to a sliding‑scale insulin is routine in hospital settings.
- Her heart attack was deemed secondary to sepsis; thus no additional cardiac intervention was needed.
- The intern promptly called for help—no delay there.
- Dr Dorai Raj, the night’s surgeon on call, didn’t personally review Madam Tan’s case, so he claimed no duty of care owed to her.
Why the Fight Persists
The trial’s second day is already on the docket, meaning the argue remains hot. For the family and the wider community, it’s a question of whether insurers and trust go hand in hand when a patient’s life hangs in the balance.
Read on to see how justice unfolds at TTSH, where every heartbeat, every administrative choice, is under the microscope.
