A well-known eye doctor in Singapore was apparently entertaining guests and drinking champagne, while STOMPer Disgruntled's mother was waiting to see him. She was at the clinic at 9am, and only got to see the doctor at 5pm, all for a consultation that only lasted five minutes, said the STOMPer.

This is STOMPer Disgruntled's account in detail:

"This is not a post to question his capabilities as a doctor,but to bring to light REAL experience at his clinic. I really hope you can take the time to read how the day unfolded.

"Pre-appointment: Mother started seeing colour flashes in vision and was a bit concerned. Someone recommended her to a well-known eye doctor in one of Singapore's private hospitals. I say well-known and not one of Singapore’s best, because just like a hawker centre stall, just because you have a newspaper article on the front doesn’t necessarily make you the best Char Kway Teow seller in Singapore.

"We made a 9am appointment to see him. The below time stamps are estimates.

"Appointment Day: 9am – got to the clinic on time, registered, and was asked to wait in the waiting area. OK. Waited for a long time, but every now and then an assistant would call me up to do the usual eye checks, solution in eyes, reading tests from room to room. These are pre-consultation procedures. Fine. With dialated pupils, waited to see the doctor. There were only a handful of patients.

"12 noon – asked if the doctor is ready to see her. Assistant says he is busy, perhaps she would like to go for lunch first and by the time she is back it would be just in time.

"12:30pm – scoff down a quick bite not wanting to miss my turn or make the doctor wait. Came back, he’s still not ready.

"1:30pm – Did ask when her turn was, as the patient queue didn’t seem to be moving. Assistant says he is busy.

"2:00pm – Hear laughter coming from the room.

"3:30pm – Near tea time, saw a security guard/bodyguard-like man go into the room with a tray of wine/champagne glasses. Shortly followed by an assistant with a bottle of champagne/wine.

"4:00pm – Getting a bit grumpy, and asked what the doctor is busy with? Who is having a celebration? This was when the assistant said that he has some VIP guests in there. Getting annoyed that while he entertains his VIP guest, patients are out there waiting. Asked the nurse why didn’t they tell me! If I had known, would have come back another day. I have to work too! The nurse then said “maybe you better go have tea first then come back.” First lunch, now tea time. Had a cup of tea at the kopitiam, and came back up. The doctor is STILL not ready.

"5:00pm – Finally he sees my mum.

"5:05pm – My mum is out of his office. 5 mins."

Find out what happened during the consultation session on the next page.


The STOMPer's mother said:

"During the 5min consultation: Nurse sets me up on that eye machine, all he did was look through the machine, and kept quiet. Said nothing. Was asked to wait again at which the doctor went back into his office where I saw a child around 9yrs old playing/running around in his room.

"Was wondering why I had to wait? Is the doctor coming back? Am I going to get an explanation or diagnosis?

"Finally he came back and all he said was “There is nothing wrong with your eyes.” I then questioned why I have those colour flashes when I blink? He again says “There is nothing wrong with your eyes.” THAT is not an explanation. Wasn’t happy with that answer, and pressed on. He then turns around to his assistant and says “Give her the book to read” as if I was not there. As if I was a piece of dirt and didn’t want to be spoken to!

"He talks INDIRECTLY to me, takes a book off the shelf, and tells the nurse beside him to give this to me.

The STOMPer continued:

"Post consultation: Was charged a whopping $500 bill for his precious 5mins. Was so reluctant to pay for an empty diagnosis or even explanation of my condition.

"Issue: Clinics should try their best to honour appointment times, unless it’s for an EMERGENCY such as the delivery of a baby.

"Clinics should pre-empt customers on waiting time so that their own schedule can be planned.

"Clinics should not 'lie' or avoid telling the truth on the causes of delays. Just because an important guest is in the clinic, does not mean you leave your patients WAITING for you until you’re done brown-nosing and sipping your flute of champagne. This was probably how he gets all his pictures on the walls with “important people” and gets well-known because of his 'celebrity first class patients'.

"In addition, whether you did or did not have that champagne, you give the impression that you might have consumed alcohol, giving the patient no confidence in your ability to perform your duty, sober or not.

"Doctors should make a patient feel like you care (even if you don’t). You should listen and try to understand their woes and concerns. Saying a few abrupt sentences to you that you’re OK and not giving an answer on WHY you're experiencing the conditions is just SLOPPY consultation.

"It is RUDE not to talk to your patient directly.

"It is even more disgusting when you ask your patient to read a book so that they can understand their OWN condition. It is your job to explain it, not for your patient to read the book!

"On hindsight I wished I had given him a piece of my mind, and reported him to the Singapore Medical Council.

"I did send a complaint letter to his clinic, but as expected, no reply.

"I think it’s important to share this information. It’s all about raising the bar on healthcare service and standards.

"Patients need a voice."