SINGAPORE, May 4 (NNN-CNA) – Singapore’s Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), has taken disciplinary action against five of its staff members, for an incident at its laboratory, that resulted in some breast cancer patients receiving unnecessary treatment.
In its statement yesterday, KTPH said, the incident was caused by human error, during the establishment of the staining procedure for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tests. This resulted in the over-staining of lab slides, which affected the interpretation of the results and led to a higher positive rate of HER2 than usual. Some of the patients, who were wrongly diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, received over-treatment as a result.
The disciplinary action meted out ranged from stern warnings to financial penalties and cessation of employment.
Chairman of the KTPH Medical Board, Pek Wee Yang, said, they have reached out to all affected patients to offer their support, and they will look into the appropriate compensation for each individual patient.
“We are determined to set things right, to regain the trust and confidence of our patients. We will expeditiously rectify all gaps in our processes in the laboratory,” he added.– NNN-CNA
