Paediatrician suspended for failing to diagnose one-year-old with
life-threatening disease
SINGAPORE: A paediatrician has been
suspended for three months for failing to diagnose a one-year-old boy with
Kawasaki disease.
As a result of the late diagnosis, the boy
was exposed to the possibility of developing severe cardiac complications, the
Singapore Medical Council said in a statement on Tuesday (Jun 27).
Dr Chia Foong Lin did not discuss the
possibility of Kawasaki disease with the boy's parents despite having
considered that he could have it, according to a disciplinary tribunal
appointed by the SMC.
"Instead, she was content to continue
managing the patient for viral fever when the clinical features clearly did not
point to a simple case of viral infection," the SMC added.
Kawasaki disease is characterised by
inflammation of the blood vessels. Symptoms include high fever for at least
five days, conjunctivitis, and dry red lips, which the boy displayed, according
to the inquiry.
Dr Chia, 56, who at the time of the
incident in 2013 was practising at Chia Baby and Child Clinic at Clementi, was
on call at Gleneagles Hospital when the boy was admitted. From Feb 25 to Mar 3
in 2013, Dr Chia repeatedly diagnosed him with a viral infection.
It was only suspected that he had Kawasaki
disease when he was taken to another hospital for a second opinion.
SUPPORTIVE TESTS NOT ORDERED
The disciplinary tribunal agreed with
SMC’s lawyers that Kawasaki disease was a "relatively common and
potentially life-threatening" childhood disease but Dr Chia failed to
pick up on its symptoms.
Dr Chia also did not order tests that
could have supported the diagnosis of the disease, SMC noted. "The
disciplinary tribunal was of the view that such a failure amounted to a serious
negligence on the part of Dr Chia," it said.
However, the tribunal acknowledged that
the diagnosis of the disease is not straightforward. In imposing the penalty on
Dr Chia, the disciplinary tribunal noted that she had an unblemished record and
that the case did not show an intentional departure from established standards.
However, it dismissed an appeal from Dr Chia against the sentence.
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