Kkh Or Sgh

[aerial77_00 0]

Hi all,

Was planning for a family and got to know abt the not so hospitable atmosphere in KKH and it is a vast contrast compared to SGH.

Any1 who had experience(s) at both hospitals care to share their experiences and advices ?

Thx in advance

[asoon88 0]

Hi all,

Was planning for a family and got to know abt the not so hospitable atmosphere in KKH and it is a vast contrast compared to SGH.

Any1 who had experience(s) at both hospitals care to share their experiences and advices ?

Thx in advance

KKH has the best equipment for pre and post natal care. Being the 'factory' of Singapore, reliability and experience is there. My first 3 children were born in the old KKH in the early 90's. It was a nice old hospital then. The new hospital is a bit "cold" because of the decor and expanse. That was why I sent my wife to Thomson Medical for my fourth child. Anyway, another reason was that the I located my wife's gynae who used to worked in KKH till 1999. He went into private practice but I tracked him down in 2004. Never regretted Thomson Medical because all the old KKH nurses are working there now ! Price is just slightly above KKH but my doctor gave me a discount for allowing him to deliver all my 4 children. Value for money !

[aerial77_00 0]

KKH has the best equipment for pre and post natal care. Being the 'factory' of Singapore, reliability and experience is there. My first 3 children were born in the old KKH in the early 90's. It was a nice old hospital then. The new hospital is a bit "cold" because of the decor and expanse. That was why I sent my wife to Thomson Medical for my fourth child. Anyway, another reason was that the I located my wife's gynae who used to worked in KKH till 1999. He went into private practice but I tracked him down in 2004. Never regretted Thomson Medical because all the old KKH nurses are working there now ! Price is just slightly above KKH but my doctor gave me a discount for allowing him to deliver all my 4 children. Value for money !

Hi, thx for sharing your views

Was discussing with wife and discovered that some of our friends also preferred Thomson Medical for their hospitality. Now it juz depends on my budget :-/

May I know how frequent is the medical check-up ? Monthly ?

[xray 0]

Hi, thx for sharing your views

Was discussing with wife and discovered that some of our friends also preferred Thomson Medical for their hospitality. Now it juz depends on my budget :-/

May I know how frequent is the medical check-up ? Monthly ?

we went to KKH initially, but changed to thomson instead.

at KKH, the gynae not frenly, she doesn't do the scan for u. when u do tests (blood test, down syndrome test, etc) it's not the gynae tat gives u the explanation of the report.

my kid has a little thickness on the neck and was told (not by the gynae) that my baby may have heart problems (w/o doing further test).

my wife n i was super worried. and the 'further test' was scheduled like 2-3 weeks later (imagine how we go thru the period of waiting).

went over to thomson and saw the gynae there. took all our test reports to her.

she did the scan immediately, check thoroughly and we were relieved tat baby is alright.

our gynae explained in detailed as she was doing the scan.

both gynae n nurses there were frenly.

price wise, my wife did the cal... she said not much more... but base on the quality of svc... it' worth every penny...

[Aiky 0]

If you are not fixed on these two, I wld recommend NUH.

We went Thomson for our firstborn, given its reputation. I dont want to elaborate on my experiences, suffice to say we had a far superior experience at NUH for my second baby. Expertise, hospitality, facilities, advanced equipment etc etc. Profs/doctors are tops, just cut some slack for the MOs (they all need to start somewhere right?)

The other thing is I spent a lot less time waiting at NUH. At thomson, often had to wait up to 2-3 hrs to see gynae. I suppose they dont cram as much patients as a private hospital which probably seeks to maximise profit.

In the end, I suppose most couples want to find a gynae whom the wife is comfortable with. Prices are all about there in the thousands - giving birth is not cheap in Sg.

Best of luck!

[asoon88 0]

If you are not fixed on these two, I wld recommend NUH.

We went Thomson for our firstborn, given its reputation. I dont want to elaborate on my experiences, suffice to say we had a far superior experience at NUH for my second baby. Expertise, hospitality, facilities, advanced equipment etc etc. Profs/doctors are tops, just cut some slack for the MOs (they all need to start somewhere right?)

The other thing is I spent a lot less time waiting at NUH. At thomson, often had to wait up to 2-3 hrs to see gynae. I suppose they dont cram as much patients as a private hospital which probably seeks to maximise profit.

In the end, I suppose most couples want to find a gynae whom the wife is comfortable with. Prices are all about there in the thousands - giving birth is not cheap in Sg.

Best of luck!

I am rather surprised that you had to wait 2~3 hrs at Thomson. That was the usual time I spent just waiting at KKH with my wife! Thomson was a breeze because my wife's gynae was a one to one thing. No other patients.

I have heard alot about NUH on pre-natal care. However, given the no. of medical students there, I advise would-be mothers to be mentally prepared to be "touched" and "probed". KKH is not any better but at least you don't see 10 boys and girls in white overalls touching you down there like NUH!

[Aiky 0]

Guess the waiting time depends on the gynae. Glad you had a positive experience at TH, as I am sure did many other couples also.

Waiting time is not a deal killer for us. In fact, we went TH twice because my wife insisted so. Both times were sort of a let down in terms of the outcome. Ofcourse, it is unfair to blame TH for pregnancy/medical outcomes beyond their control. But rather the way they responded and managed crises, how to say, when the chips are down. For just about every successful and normal delivery, I'm sure there wld be nothing to complain about.

Anyway, parents (to be) just be mindful that every hospital has its limitations. In the rare event of medical complications - touch wood and I dont mean the usual pregnancy complications - ideally you want to be where the experts are or at least people who know what they are doing.

As for the students at NUH, not as scary as you put it lah!

I do find the students intrusive, mostly because the newbies don't know how to handle patients with tact. We usually tell them to bugger off and they will respect. Just have to be firm (sometimes like talking to kids) - remember you have patient rights too! Anyway, all part of their learning process to deal with rejection and stuff.

All said and done, the doctors at NUH saved my firstborn's life. We went through some tough times, found great comfort in the doctors there. It was a no brainer for us to go back to NUH for our second baby, even leaving aside the fantastic pre-natal facilities there.

Just relating my own experiences. Ofc, NUH is not without areas for improvement too, and YMMV.

[asoon88 0]

Just to share my own experience at NUH.

My son was warded for a skin allergy back in 1995 as an infant. As my family had a history of hives, he got it too. I wasn't too worried but everytime he ate something, milk or plain porridge, it comes out. This was something different because it happens to me when seafood is taken.

We were referred to a female doc....Prof Lee. She suggested warding my child for observation. As I was using an anti-histamine drug called Atarax, she also prescribe the same tablet to him but at half-dose, crushed and mixed with water before spoonfeeding. We spent a total to 3 days being warded as one parent was allowed to stay with the infant. Every morning, a team of boys and girls will walk in with a doc to check on my child's condition, after the doc did the usual checks, I was quite annoyed with the repeated questions posed to me by the boys and girls. These questions were asked upteem times when my child was first warded.

As my child was staying in a four-bedded ward, there was a older Malay child staying beside us. On the second day, his grandfather came to visit him. He saw the red spots and patches on my child's body and told me to buy a young coconut and let him drink the coconut water. Prof Lee discharged us on the third day after failing to find the exact cause of my child's allergy except to ask us to return a month later for review. The Atarax tablets had little effect on my child.

Upon discharged, I immediately went to the market and bought a coconut costing me only 50 cents. I fed my child 3 teaspoons of the coconut water and drank the rest myself. A miracle happened next, his red spots and patches disappeared within an hour ! I gave him the same treatment for the next four weeks until appointment day with Prof Lee.

Prof Lee was delighted to see my child's skin was patch-free and looked healthy. She asked me if the tablets issued were all consumed. I told her that a Malay man's 50-cent coconut remedy cured my son. She was unconvinced and just smiled not saying a word. She arranged another appointment date for us. It was less than a 3-min observation. At the cashier counter, I was asked to pay a $75 consultation fee. I blasted the Indian girl at the counter because Prof Lee didn't do anything ! I finally paid the $75 so as not to create a commotion. I ignored all reminders to visit NUH thereafter. Why pay a useless doctor when she didn't do anything ?

[asoon88 0]

Another negative story at NUH.

Back in 1994, my second child suffered a fractured elbow after falling off from the sofa. I sent her to NUH A&E dept but was told there was nothing wrong. However, she was crying of pain on & off and I noticed a red swelling on her left arm above the elbow. I sent her NUH A&E dept again. This time the x-ray showed a hairline fracture. She was sent to the dressing room to be bandaged. Guess what ? The medic/nurse bandaged her arm straight. I guestioned the nurse because my first child also suffered a factured elbow a year earlier and her arm was bandaged at an angle.

I was proven right when the doctor who saw my child earlier happened to walk past us when we were at the appointment counter. He immediately ordered the cast to be removed and he personally did the job himself.

The same thing happened to my niece in 1997, she fractured her elbow while playing tennis in primary school. Her mum sent her to NUH and her arm was bandaged straight. Her mum came over to my house with her 3 days later and I expressed concern over her dressing because I had experienced this problem before. I asked her to seek a second opinion. She did but was a little too late. At Gleneagles Hospital, the doctor immediately referred her back to NUH. However, at NUH, they were not able to bend my niece elbow to do the dressing because the fracture had somehow fused the bone. Only an operation could remedy the situtaion. My sister was flabbergasted. She threatened to sue NUH eventhough they offered to do the operation for free. Having lost confidence in NUH, they went back to Gleneagles to have the operation done there. With Gleneagle's doctor's help, all medical cost was borne by NUH. However, my niece who is 21 years old this year still bears the scars of the operation on her left arm till this day. NUH anyone ?

[Aiky 0]

If I may deduce from our experiences - the core element of positive/negative experiences perhaps boils down to the doctor.

We happened to have found the right (given our circumstances) ones at NUH and I suppose you found yours elsewhere. So back to the mantra of third party advices - personal mileages will necessarily vary!

I also thought your chance encounter with the Malay family was a blessing to be thankful for, and a reminder that sometimes, doctors don't always know everything. We also learnt the last part the hard way.

Cheers and best regards.

[Aiky 0]

Another negative story at NUH.

Back in 1994, my second child suffered a fractured elbow after falling off from the sofa. I sent her to NUH A&E dept but was told there was nothing wrong. However, she was crying of pain on & off and I noticed a red swelling on her left arm above the elbow. I sent her NUH A&E dept again. This time the x-ray showed a hairline fracture. She was sent to the dressing room to be bandaged. Guess what ? The medic/nurse bandaged her arm straight. I guestioned the nurse because my first child also suffered a factured elbow a year earlier and her arm was bandaged at an angle.

I was proven right when the doctor who saw my child earlier happened to walk past us when we were at the appointment counter. He immediately ordered the cast to be removed and he personally did the job himself.

The same thing happened to my niece in 1997, she fractured her elbow while playing tennis in primary school. Her mum sent her to NUH and her arm was bandaged straight. Her mum came over to my house with her 3 days later and I expressed concern over her dressing because I had experienced this problem before. I asked her to seek a second opinion. She did but was a little too late. At Gleneagles Hospital, the doctor immediately referred her back to NUH. However, at NUH, they were not able to bend my niece elbow to do the dressing because the fracture had somehow fused the bone. Only an operation could remedy the situtaion. My sister was flabbergasted. She threatened to sue NUH eventhough they offered to do the operation for free. Having lost confidence in NUH, they went back to Gleneagles to have the operation done there. With Gleneagle's doctor's help, all medical cost was borne by NUH. However, my niece who is 21 years old this year still bears the scars of the operation on her left arm till this day. NUH anyone ?

Bro

Hope you chill a bit. We can take this discussion offline to let off steam. No doubt most folks have got good/horror stories about various doctors/hospitals. I'm not sure spilling the beans and naming names online is all that right.

I like to think I have been circumspect in my comments. As much as I found NUH the right place for us, I know it will not always be the best choice for everyone. And as much as we had - urm less positive - experiences elsewhere, many others have great praise where we felt let down.

I do not wish to run anyone/place down, what we say online or private often carry much bearings beyond that moment of shiokness of saying it.

Peace.

[asoon88 0]

Another negative NUH story to share :-

More recently in 2005, my boss who was overseas called me to say that his 5 year old daughter was molested "down there" by the security guard of the childcare centre. As his wife doesn't speak fluent English, I helped by driving her and her child to Clementi Police Station to make a report. It was extremely troublesome because the silly officers refused to let the mother or me relate the story to them. They wanted to hear it from the 5 year old girl who doesn't speak English very well. After 3 hours at the police station, it was a fruitless attempt because she kept crying for her mummy.

We left and went to the school to speak with the principal and teachers. We requested for the security guard to be away during our meeting to avoid scaring the child again. We told the school about the police report but they were also very skeptical about the incident. We decided to get a medical examination for her.

At 2.30pm, we arrived at NUH A&E dept. We wanted to go to the children's clinic but having told the counter girl about the problem, she insisted that it must be handled by the A&E dept. Do you know what time they finally got the gynae to see the little girl ? 8.30pm !!!! I was there with my boss' wife and the child for more than 6 hours waiting to see a gynae. When we finally got to see the gynae, I questioned her youth and asked " Are you sure you are a gynae ? Singapore's birth rate must by quite high if you are so busy". She was quite peeved ! During the waiting time, I witnessed how inefficient NUH A&E doctors were handling their cases. A medical report was made by the gynae and she said if evidence of trauma was found it would be escalated to the police.

I sent the mother and child home at 9.30pm. Upon reaching home, I turned on my computer and sent a foul-worded email to Moses Lee (perm sec for health) and cc NUH's CEO for the day's events. I received no reply. If you are a woman, got rape with the goo inside you and have to wait more than 6 hours to be examined, wouldn't it be better to commit suicide than to be kept waiting?

Till today, I tell my family and friends to use NUH at their own peril.

[musicbox 0]

I prefer KKH as i like the way it was managed and the procedure there.

At KKH, for normal clinic, you take no for ultrasound scan at another room, scan done by specialist not your gynea, then take the report to clinic, go for routine test (urine, blood pressure, weight) by nurse (i don't see a need for this to be done by gynea), then wait for your number to see your gynea. After seeing gynea then make payment and go pharmacy to collect medicine (if you sign up for giro payment, can go pharmacy straight away, nurse will call you to make appointment).

If you take private suite (consultancy fee slightly more expensive than normal clinic), then everything is done at your gynea private room (e.g. gynea do the ultrasound scan for you).

I like the normal clinic procedure coz is faster, i don't see a need for gynea to scan or do those test for me. The waiting time is normally shorter comparing to private suite or other private hospital.

I've been to TCM and seen a gynea there before, i totally don't like the atmosphere there, they function like a small clinic, so packed and the waiting time really killed me (appointment at 10am but only seen gynea at 1pm!) There's no number shown and don't know how long need to wait, ask the nurse they give you estimate but not accurate. In KKH, they auto sms me telling me how many patient in front me, while waiting to see doctor i can shop around in KKH or have my meal there.

As in bad service, so far i didn't encounter any really bad ones at KKH, only met a few blur nurse but i normally clarify with them on the spot and no issue so far. My first kid delivered by KT Tan a senior consultant, but she's those talk less and fast type which i don't like so now my second one i switch to another consultant who is more patient and very nice. Back in TCM i also met a nurse who don't have customer service at all, while i was warded in the day care room she keep making call to friends complaining she can't leave coz i was still there, so bad service is everywhere even in private hospital.

Anyway just my personal preference and experience to share, I'm sure there're others who like TCM

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