Doctors killed my sister
Madam CM LeePublished: Sep 21, 2007 3:24 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
I refer to the Malaysiakini letter Medical Professionalism on the slide.
The writer has given a true assessment of the current state of our medical profession. He has rightly lamented that: 'This country does not have a strong medical disciplinary board. Many unethical and dishonest medical professionals are only let off with a slight tap on the wrist'.
I unreservedly agree with him. Let me share my story about my uphill battle to seek justice for my younger sister who died a wrongful death at the hands of two unethical doctors.
About five years ago in November 2002, my sister died of septicaemia from a perforated colon three days after undergoing a LAVH procedure at the Damansara Specialist Hospital in Petaling Jaya. On confrontation with her doctor (a specialist who had convinced my sister to do the surgery) on how she could have been so negligent, this doctor admitted to me that she was not the one who did the surgery; it was done by another doctor.
I was shocked and asked her for the name of the doctor. She refused to disclose who the other doctor was. It was only months later through legal means that we found out that she had asked her brother, who is a practitioner in a Penang hospital, to come to PJ to do the surgery on my sister. Having obtained sufficient documentary evidence, I submitted my complaint to the Malaysian Medical Council.
During proceedings before the MMC's own Preliminary Investigation Committee, it became clear that my sister only met this Penang doctor after she had received pre-medication just before she was to go into surgery.
This doctor had never asked for my sister's consent to perform the surgery. What we had uncovered was a practice of deception within the medical profession of which my sister was an unsuspecting victim who lost her life.
After more than four hearings stretching over three years, the PIC finally framed the charges against the two doctors and called them to appear before the council. However, on the appointed date of March 12 this year an eleven-member panel of the Malaysia Medical Council suddenly 'found' that the two doctors had no case to answer and dismissed the charges!
I am confused. The PIC found evidence to charge the two doctors, but the council said we have not made out a case. I have requested MMC for the reasons of their 'finding', however none are forthcoming.
Because of either lack of will or lack of competence on the part of the disciplinary board, willful wrongdoings by errant medical professionals go unpunished and uncorrected. As 'Fed-up Professional' has rightly pointed out in his letter, '...in the end, the doctor continues to do what he or she has been doing with little change in attitude'.
The writer has given a true assessment of the current state of our medical profession. He has rightly lamented that: 'This country does not have a strong medical disciplinary board. Many unethical and dishonest medical professionals are only let off with a slight tap on the wrist'.
I unreservedly agree with him. Let me share my story about my uphill battle to seek justice for my younger sister who died a wrongful death at the hands of two unethical doctors.
About five years ago in November 2002, my sister died of septicaemia from a perforated colon three days after undergoing a LAVH procedure at the Damansara Specialist Hospital in Petaling Jaya. On confrontation with her doctor (a specialist who had convinced my sister to do the surgery) on how she could have been so negligent, this doctor admitted to me that she was not the one who did the surgery; it was done by another doctor.
I was shocked and asked her for the name of the doctor. She refused to disclose who the other doctor was. It was only months later through legal means that we found out that she had asked her brother, who is a practitioner in a Penang hospital, to come to PJ to do the surgery on my sister. Having obtained sufficient documentary evidence, I submitted my complaint to the Malaysian Medical Council.
During proceedings before the MMC's own Preliminary Investigation Committee, it became clear that my sister only met this Penang doctor after she had received pre-medication just before she was to go into surgery.
This doctor had never asked for my sister's consent to perform the surgery. What we had uncovered was a practice of deception within the medical profession of which my sister was an unsuspecting victim who lost her life.
After more than four hearings stretching over three years, the PIC finally framed the charges against the two doctors and called them to appear before the council. However, on the appointed date of March 12 this year an eleven-member panel of the Malaysia Medical Council suddenly 'found' that the two doctors had no case to answer and dismissed the charges!
I am confused. The PIC found evidence to charge the two doctors, but the council said we have not made out a case. I have requested MMC for the reasons of their 'finding', however none are forthcoming.
Because of either lack of will or lack of competence on the part of the disciplinary board, willful wrongdoings by errant medical professionals go unpunished and uncorrected. As 'Fed-up Professional' has rightly pointed out in his letter, '...in the end, the doctor continues to do what he or she has been doing with little change in attitude'.
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