In an effort to be sure that we experience all that Singapore has to offer, we recently decided to get an inside look at the Singaporean healthcare system by trying out a nearby hospital. Eleven-year-old Kylie was discharged last week after a two-day stay to treat pneumonia; while certainly not something to be taken lightly, she was feeling so much better by the time she was admitted that she and I had a pretty pleasant stay and actually kind of enjoyed ourselves during what felt a bit like a mother-daughter retreat. She is doing just fine; hence, my light-hearted tone and tongue-in-cheek opening line.
I had taken Ky to a walk-in clinic at the hospital last week because she had a fever that just wouldn’t quit and a cough that wasn’t going away. After a quick exam at the clinic, the doctor prescribed antibiotics and told us to come back 2 days later, just to be sure the meds were working. An interesting difference in the system here versus in the U.S. is that when a patient needs medicine here, there’s no need to stop at the pharmacy on the way home, which I always find to be a particularly unpleasant form of torture when I have a sick child in tow. Instead, the doctor’s office dispenses the medicine. In our case, it was a whole lot of medicine- 2 types for fever, 2 for cough, cough drops, and the antibiotics; this seemed a bit excessive, but I felt like I had to just go along with it. Brad couldn’t believe it when we brought the bursting bag of goodies home. One part I didn’t like as much was that they don’t reconstitute the medicine for you, so I’ve been playing pharmacist at home- kind of a pain. On the plus side, prices here seem to be more reasonable- they don’t play the same ridiculous insurance game that we experience in the U.S. (Interestingly, Bloomberg ranked Singapore’s healthcare system as the most efficient in the world in 2014; the U.S. was #44. The article can be found here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-18/singapore-beats-hong-kong-in-health-efficiency-southeast-asia.)
By the time I brought Kylie back for her follow-up appointment 2 days later, her fever was finally gone, and only the nagging cough remained. Imagine our surprise, then, when the X-ray the doctor ordered “just to be sure” showed a patch on her right lung that indicated pneumonia and resulted in the doctor recommending admitting her to administer IV antibiotics. This seemed like a terrible idea to poor Ky while we were down in the clinic, but once we were shown to her room and had settled in, she ended up being okay with the situation. The private hospital we were in was beautiful. Ky’s room looked more like a hotel room that just happened to have a hospital bed in it. We had a great view out the window and were even able to see the Singapore Flyer, as pictured in the first photo. The bathroom was all marble (which seems to be the material of choice here in Singapore but was still somewhat unexpected in such quantity in a hospital bathroom), and the toilet was a Toto “Washlet”- it had almost as many options as an automatic car wash, though the only unusual feature we took advantage of was the heated seat, which was a nice way to combat the chill of the A/C.
Lots of marble and the fancy toilet
Toto Washlet control panel- very interesting
The meal options were plentiful, and Ky enjoyed making all her meal selections; the food was quite good for a hospital. Not only did we get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we also had afternoon and evening tea.
I chose the Malay meal for lunch one day: Malay Chicken Soup, Ikan Goring Bumbu Achar Kuning (Wok-Fried Fish with Tumeric and Pickled Vegetables), Fragrant Steamed Rice, & Chinese Endive (which came with the oh-so-traditional Marble Cheesecake)
Ky’s lunch pick was the Chinese meal: Cantonese Beef Hor Fun (Flat Rice Noodles, Lean Beef, & Green Vegetable in Thick Gravy) and, of course, the Marble Cheesecake- probably Ky’s favorite food item during our stay
It turned out that the only room available was an isolation room. After making sure that this did not mean we had to adhere to any of the isolation rules, and that it was purely a matter of the physical structure of the space, I agreed that that would be fine. It ended up being great- because we had a double set of sliding glass doors, we didn’t hear any noise from the hall. We had a corner room, which made it even nicer.
Almost everyone who cared for Kylie wore a mask. In Asia, lots of people on the street wear masks; our understanding is that if they are not feeling well, they wear a mask to prevent spreading what they have to others, which seems very considerate. In the hospital setting, I have to imagine it’s more for the opposite reason, to prevent catching anything, but that seems reasonable. However, let me just say that it definitely does not enhance one’s ability to understand a person’s heavily-accented English when unable to see that person’s lips moving. Ky and I did a lot of careful listening, and I played the interpreter for her quite frequently. We were fortunate to receive very friendly, competent care during our brief hospital stay.
The funniest aspect to the medical care Ky received was the terminology for a certain bodily function. The first time a nurse asked Kylie if she had “passed motion” yet, we just looked at each other. I realized what was being asked and mouthed “pooped” to Kylie, who looked shocked that that was worthy of discussion in the first place, she not being familiar with hospital protocol of keeping track of such things. Watching Ky have to reluctantly answer that question repeatedly, with the nurses consistently using that same terminology, always resulted in a chuckle when we were on our own in the room once again.
Another item of note is that we had to deal in degrees Celsius when it came to body temperature. After 11 years of parenthood, I am very accustomed to responding to fevers based on the Fahrenheit scale. When the school nurse called me last Monday afternoon to tell me that Ky was in her office and that her temperature was 39.2 degrees Celsius, I don’t think I provided her with an immediate response that she felt was worthy of the temperature we were dealing with (which was 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, for the record- significant, but not out of control, and not the highest it had been since Ky got sick). While my conversions have become pretty good when quickly approximating the temperature required to heat my oven and adjust my thermostat, I wasn’t quite ready with an immediate Fahrenheit equivalent down to a tenth of a degree when I answered the phone. After this experience, however, I’m better prepared for the next time I need to deal with a Celsius fever.
Kylie was supposed to stay in the hospital for two nights, but our pediatrician surprised us with a late-night visit on the second evening and offered to discharge her after one last round of IV meds. That sounded good to us, so we walked out of the hospital at 10 o’clock that night, and I do mean that Kylie literally walked out, which is something that would never have happened back home. I explained to Ky that in the U.S., it doesn’t matter what you’ve been in for- the patient receives a wheelchair ride out the door regardless. This seemed almost unceremonious by comparison, but it sure was quicker!
So, that’s the latest in our list of Asian adventures. I need to thank my wonderful friend and neighbor, Molly, who saved us by watching Jenna and Logan as needed; one of the hardest parts about moving away has been losing our safety net of family and friends, and it really helps knowing that we have found our people here in Singapore as well. Additionally, my brother Tim, who is now a doctor (after graduating from med school last week- so proud of him!), provided me with much-appreciated, U.S.-based medical advice throughout this little adventure. Finally, Kylie was amazed by all of the well-wishes she received, including some fantastic cards from her friends and teachers. Emails from family and friends at home made her smile. Thanks to all!
Simpler in Singapore? 