Complaint Letter

rem the time i told u abt my fren's visit to a doctor and how unprofessional the doctor was?

well, i've already submitted the complaint letter to Singapore Medical Council a month ago and i'll have to wait 6-9 months before getting a reply from them...

here's my complaint letter to them. i feel really pissed about the whole issue. if a similar case happens to you, you'll know what to do...=P go to the Singapore Medical Council to seek justice and deter the unprofessional conduct of doctors! doctors are there to save lives, not ruin lives, right? haiii...


Dear Sir/Mdm,

I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction of the medical consultation provided by Dr. A. from "XX Family Clinic & Surgery" on 27 June 2009.

My friend was feeling unwell that night because he was down with sore throat and fever. While he was seeking consultation from Dr. A, I was seated at the back of the room and observed the interaction between the doctor and the patient.

The patient told Dr. A of his throat and feverish discomfort. In view of the current H1N1 virus, Dr. A asked if the patient had been overseas and if he had been in contact with any H1N1 patients. The patient clearly answered “No” to both questions and explained to the doctor his current lifestyle of merely going to work and back home.

When a temperature check was required, Dr. A passed the ear thermometer to the patient, expecting him to take his own temperature. Dr. A clearly had no intention of taking the patient’s temperature himself. When the patient had done so, he took over the ear thermometer, took a glance, and placed it aside without confirming how high the temperature was.

The doctor proceeded with the consultation by repeating his questions – whether the patient himself was absolutely certain that he had not gone overseas and that he had not been in contact with H1N1 patients. I clearly do understand the doctor’s concern of the current H1N1 pandemic. However, instead of observing the patient and paying attention to any discomfort (whether or not the patient is down with H1N1), the doctor was looking at the patient’s medical history card 95% of the time.

One of the rare occasions when Dr. A finally looked up was when he requested to check the patient’s throat. After some writing, he then mentioned that he would give some medicine for the patient’s sore throat and fever. This marked the conclusion of the consultation.

I was taken back by the slipshod attitude of Dr. A. Evidently, he was not responsible in carrying out his duties – the check-up was not thorough. Before we left, I had to personally ask Dr. A whether the patient was running a fever. He said “Yes”. I had to probe further to ask how high the temperature was. He then replied me “37.8 degrees”.

I was appalled by his lack of professionalism. Throughout the consultation, he did not check for any swelling around the patient’s neck and he did not utilize the stethoscope for further check-up. It appeared that Dr. A was fearful of any potential body contact with the patient.

Unfortunately, the patient’s fever worsened the following day to 38.5 degrees. When the patient went for another consultation on 28 June, Dr. A adopted a similarly unprofessional approach, and he merely gave the patient a stronger dosage of medicine.

The patient’s fever persisted even after several days. He went to another clinic on 1 July, and he was diagnosed with tonsillitis.

I question Dr. A’s professionalism and his ability to give a correct and detailed diagnosis.

I understand that the doctor-in-charge of “XX Family Clinic & Surgery”, Dr. XX, would only be back on 7 July, hence Dr. A was a replacement doctor for his clinic. However, with such poor medical conduct, I worry for the patients who had been unwell during this period, and who had simply wished for proper and professional medical treatment. Regrettably, Dr. A had shown his inability to provide that.

I hope that this matter would be looked into and I look forward to receiving your explanation of this incident.