Why unhappy patients should lodge complaints only through proper channels

The case of a woman who made a series of Facebook posts alleging that she had been mistreated while warded at Tan Tock Seng Hospital went viral this week (TTSH doc named in patient's police report about alleged mistreatment was not involved, says hospital, Oct 23).

- Dr Desmond Wai

There are some reasons why patients should not voice their grievances against their doctors or medical institutions on social media.

First, the patients involved will not receive an open reply from the doctor or medical institution involved. They are bound by patient privacy and confidentiality regulations and cannot openly disclose any patient information, unless the patient involved gives explicit consent.