Daughter blames clinic for father's death: 'Staff did not treat case as emergency'
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A woman is blaming a clinic for her father's death.
Stomper XL said that her dad had severe chest pains and appeared pale on Sept 19.
"Fearing a heart attack, I told my mother to give him an aspirin and go straight to the hospital," recounted the Stomp.
"As she was unfamiliar with aspirin and unsure if we had any at home, she brought my father to a nearby clinic to obtain some, arriving at about 3.25pm."
The Stomper also instructed her mum to tell the clinic staff that it was an emergency.
"When I reached the clinic at 3.43 pm, I found my father in a critical state," said the daughter.
"Despite being told of his symptoms - chest pain, cold sweat and feeling unwell - the staff did not treat the case as an emergency.
"They had no aspirin, no AED (automated external defibrillator), and did not call for an ambulance. I had to call 995 myself at 3.46pm and again at 3.58pm when the ambulance still had not arrived."
The Singapore Heart Foundation told Stomp it believes that it would be ideal that every clinic is equipped with an AED, and their staff trained to operate it, so that they would all be ready to respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases.
The Stomper continued. "Meanwhile, CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) was started only at 3.55pm, far too late.
"When the ambulance finally came, the paramedics walked slowly despite my desperate pleas for them to hurry."
But it was too late.
The Stomper said: "By then, the critical window to save my father had already passed. He did not survive.
"Looking back, if the clinic had immediately called for an ambulance when my parents arrived at 3.25pm, it likely would have reached by 3.40pm - just before my father's collapse - and his chances of survival would have been much higher.
"Even after I arrived, if CPR had started promptly instead of at 3.55pm, his life could have been saved."
CPR should be administered to cardiac arrest victims who are unresponsive and not breathing or exhibiting abnormal breathing, according to the Singapore Heart Association.
The Stomper said she has lodged complaints with the authorities to no avail.
"The police informed me that the death certificate indicates coronary artery disease as the cause of death, which is classified as a natural cause," said the grieving daughter.
"The systemic failures and inaction contributed directly to his death."
She told Stomp: "I am sharing this story with Stomp because I do not want another family to go through what we went through.
"My father deserved better. Patients in emergencies deserve better."
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