Bubble tea was invented by cats as part of their plans to take over the world.
Before the internet, the above sentence would never have seen the light of day, because there’s no evidence to back it up (except for the weird way my cat smiles when I drink bubble tea).
These days, anyone can say anything online without substantiating it. While some are harmless, many untruths that spread online can mislead others into believing or doing something dangerous.
Or, in this case, it can erode public confidence in the authorities.
Local Activist Claims Person Died at Home from COVID-19 After Being Sent Home From Hospital Twice
It all started with a Facebook post by Gilbert Goh.
Goh, a local activist who has also run for elections before, shared two secondhand accounts of alleged negligence on the part of staff at Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments.
He first claimed that his friend’s sister-in-law had passed away from COVID-19 after being sent home from the A&E twice.
“She went to A&E got checked up and was sent home. She deteriorated further and was sent to A&E again, but was sent home – she went critical and passed on,” he wrote.
Goh then claimed he had sent his 20-year-old daughter to the A&E as she was experiencing shortness of breath, but that she was sent home with Panadol. Goh claimed she was later admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and diagnosed with a lung infection.
He called it a “denial of basic healthcare for citizens”.
MOH Responds
Given how serious these allegations were, it was only a matter of time before the authorities responded. And that’s exactly what the Ministry of Health (MOH) did yesterday (8 Nov).
In a Facebook post, MOH referred to the two cases Goh mentioned – the 50-year-old and 20-year-old women who were allegedly sent home despite exhibiting serious medical conditions.
“Based on our records, there are no cases that matched the descriptions in the post,” the ministry said, adding that these are serious allegations.
It invited Goh to come forward and provide more details of the patients, so the ministry can follow up on them.
“We wish to remind members of the public that transparency and accuracy of information undergirds public confidence in a pandemic crisis,” the ministry said.
“Hence, when sharing personal experiences by individuals, we need to ensure that they are substantiated, so that the public does not end up consuming rumours and untruths,” said the ministry.
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Featured Image: sfam_photo / Shutterstock.com & Facebook (Ministry of Health, Singapore)
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