2015Singapore stories: Charcot Foot and other stories

Tuesday, Oct 28, 2014
Breakfast with 2 senior citizens, Mr Han and Joe .

Mr Han, the 67-year-old man related the following stories again to me today:

Story 1. $40 consultation fee for no consultation.
His friend wanted to renew his driving licence but had to see a general practitioner to sign the form.
"Did you have any heart surgery," the doctor asked.
"Yes," his friend said. "I have a pace-maker."
"In that case, you need to go to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital to be certified fit for driving!"
"But you can certify that I am fit at the time of examintion," the friend said.
The doctor refused to do so and the consulation fee was $40 for "doing nothing."
He advised his friend not to pay but the friend did.
"There was consultation," I said. "Though not in his favour."

"Why not go to the next doctor and tell him you do not have heart surgery," the 2nd senior citizen suggested.
"He did," Mr Han said. "Exactly the same reply and the doctor filled up the form."
"How much was the fee?" I asked.
$25.00"

Story 2. The 14-year-old daughter has late nights.
Mr Han's daughter goes out after 11 pm every night and comes home past 3 am.
"Don't go out at this time," Mr Han said. "What will neighbours think? Leave the house at 7 pm."
The daughter ignored him. He slapped her once. She called the police and he was put in jail.
"It is a case of assault," I said.
"If you have a well brought up child, you are lucky," Joe said to me. Joe has a son who graduated from an American University and has an excellent relationship with him.
"If the father cuts off the allowance to the daughter," Joe said that a solution is to stop giving the daughter her financial support. "If Mr Han does that, she will blame him as she earns money from prostitution."

Story 3. The neighour had stomach cancer.
The neighbourhood doctor was sued by the neighbour for not diagnosing stomach cancer as he would prescribe some medication during every visit. The neighbour's wife suggested that the husband seek a second opinion and was scolded. Finally, the husband got a second opinion and engaged a lawyer to sue the doctor.
"Ironically, the lawyer is another neighbour," Mr Han said.
"Did he win the case?"
"No, no," Mr Han said.
"The doctor might have suggested visit to the specialist and had written this advice in his medical records," I said.
"You can't expect a general practitioner to diagnose stomach cancer," Joe said.
"But he should have referred for further investigations at the hospital and he probably had done so."


Story 4. Charcot's foot.
Charcot's foot is said to be a progressive degeneration of the joints of the foot. One cause is diabetes and Mr Han had diabetes. Initially, Mr Han consulted the general practitioner who prescribed some medication without even looking at his foot.
"Maybe your foot was smelly," I said.
"Not at all."
He was diagnosed Charcot's foot by the specialist and had a special shoe made.