SGH apologises, explains bruising on elderly man's hand
In a Facebook post on Jan 8, netizen Teri T Tan shared photos of her father's hand, which appeared bruised.
She explained that on Nov 23 last year, she saw that her father, who was in a Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Class A1 ward, had bruises and prick marks on his left hand. She was informed by her maid that the medical staff had trouble drawing blood from the elderly man.
Ms Tan's sister raised the issue with a nurse but was told that the blood-taking procedure would have been carried out by a doctor.
Later on Dec 2, it was the elderly patient's right hand that was bruised and swollen.
When she requested to speak to the doctor who attended to her father, Ms Tan was told to wait for the doctor to complete his rounds. However, when she requested to see him 40 minutes later, she was told that the doctor had left for the day.
Ms Tan's father died on Dec 10.
In a response to her Facebook post, SGH division of medicine chairman Loo Chian Min explained that "elderly patients, as well as those on certain medications, often have fragile skin and thin veins". This hinders the blood-taking procedure and several attempts might be needed, which can lead to bruising.
Associate Professor Loo also apologised for the communication lapse and added that the hospital had got in touch with the patient's widow.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
