Debated in Parliament on 19 Sep 2023.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health what is the (i) average number of complaints received per month for alleged medical negligence by hospital staff and (ii) average total patient intake per month, with a breakdown respectively for Sengkang Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and other regional hospitals.
In 2022, the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) received an average of one complaint per month for alleged medical negligence by registered medical practitioners in the public sector hospitals. All these complaints were investigated, most of them involved complex cases, and the SMC was satisfied that there was no negligence on the part of healthcare workers. There were no such complaints received by other Professional Boards.
The patient intake is well spread out across regional hospitals. However, it is higher at the National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, due to their higher patient loads and the complex cases they manage.
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