Hospital Unable to Identify Woman Following Claims of Neglect
Update: The alternative news outlet Wake Up Singapore has received a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) for sharing the woman’s claims on its social media channels.
In a media release on March 27, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that Wake Up Singapore published additional posts on March 25, indicating that the patient had informed them her recollection was inaccurate. Wake Up Singapore acknowledged that it “may have been fed lies at every turn” and issued an apology for disseminating the claims.
Following a pregnant woman’s assertion that she lost her baby after waiting four hours for treatment at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the hospital stated that there was “no such scenario.” Professor Alex Sia, CEO of KKH, clarified on March 25 that the online report regarding the incident at the Urgent Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centre (UOGC) was incorrect.
Prof. Sia noted discrepancies between the woman’s account and the billing information that circulated online. “We can definitively say that there is no such scenario. We have since filed a police report,” he stated in a report by the Straits Times.
The woman’s story gained significant traction on social media. She claimed that after arriving at KKH in February around 2 PM, she began to bleed after waiting three hours without any medical attention. After another hour, she alleged that a doctor informed her she had lost the baby.
KKH acknowledged the woman’s claims in an update on its Facebook page, stating, “Despite our best efforts, we are still unable to identify the patient based on the scenario reported.” The hospital added, “There appear to be discrepancies between the story and the billing information shared online. Preliminary investigations indicate that there is no such case at the hospital on the date mentioned in the report.”
In a subsequent post on Friday afternoon, KKH confirmed that the incident was found to be false. “There are various aspects of the reported story that are incorrect, and we can definitively say that the scenario described did not take place,” the hospital stated.
“We appreciate the public’s support and the time allowed for us to investigate the incident. This is a crucial time for everyone in healthcare, and we will continue to do our utmost to care for our patients. Every piece of feedback is an opportunity to improve, and we take it seriously, but when falsehoods arise, we must address them transparently,” they added.
