Apart from Mr Branson, statements were also issued by the Delegation of the European Union to Singapore and Australian MP Graham Perrett. The EU statement, which was jointly issued on Monday with the diplomatic missions of EU member states, Norway and Switzerland in Singapore, called on authorities to halt Tanagaraju’s executionContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: A woman sued her surgeons over jaw surgeries she had sought to correct her protruding mouth and lips, claiming that their medical negligence resulted in her having to undergo surgery “so many times”.
The 39-year-old woman represented herself at trial, claiming damages including S$1.6 million (US$1.2 million) in estimated loss of wages and almost S$100,000 for her medical expenses.
In a judgment published on Tuesday (Apr 25), a district court dismissed her claim with costs, saying she had persisted in her claim despite being advised on her lack of supporting evidence.
Ms Angelina Leong Xiu Ting was 32 in July 2015 when she consulted orthodontist Dr Alfred Cheng and was told she had a dental malocclusion with bimaxillary jaw protrusion.
Dr Cheng referred her to Dr Winston Tan Kwong Shen, who was practising at OMP Alliance at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre.
Dr Tan assessed Ms Leong and found that she had significant functional dentofacial deformities, with a protrusive mouth and lips.
He recommended surgery on both her upper and lower jaws, which involved cutting the jaw bones and repositioning them to address the protrusion and correct the misalignment of the teeth and jaw. The bones would be secured with bone plates, screws and wires.
Ms Leong agreed and the procedure was carried out in December 2015 at the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital by Dr Tan and a second surgeon – Dr Lye Kok Weng.
While the surgery significantly corrected Ms Leong’s dentofacial deformities, it resulted in minor facial asymmetry, which caused Ms Leong to seek a second jaw surgery about six months after the first one. After this, she sought a third jaw surgery.
Ms Leong later sued the two surgeons, claiming that they had been negligent in the medical care, treatment and advice given to her. She claimed that their mistakes had caused her to undergo jaw surgery so many times, and alleged that she suffered pain and discomfort from the operations.
She also attributed injuries to the surgeons – including chronic pain in her jaw and mouth, periodontitis or gum disease, inability to open her mouth completely and difficulties speaking properly.
In her lawsuit, she claimed damages that included her loss of income and the cost of any future treatments and surgeries she might require.
The surgeons were represented by lawyers Audrey Sim and Lydia Yeow from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson.
They argued that the first surgery had successfully corrected Ms Leong’s dentofacial deformities, and the resulting minor residual asymmetry was “well within expectations of surgical outcomes”.
The surgeons said they had repeatedly emphasised to Ms Leong that the aesthetic outcome of such surgeries can never be predicted with absolute certainty, and it was unrealistic to expect perfect symmetry when dealing with a complex structure like the human face.
They added that even after the jaw deformities were corrected and Ms Leong’s looks improved, she insisted on proceeding with the second and third surgeries, “seemingly due to her quest for aesthetic perfection”.
District Judge Tan May Tee dismissed Ms Leong’s claims. Ms Leong had failed to procure an expert opinion to show that the surgeons’ acts or omissions were not in accordance with accepted practices in the field, she said.
“Without such expert evidence, the plaintiff’s case simply cannot get off the ground,” said Judge Tan. “Her reliance on materials sourced from the Internet does not assist her case given their doubtful provenance.”
In contrast, the surgeons obtained the opinion of experienced oral maxillofacial surgeon Dr Andrew Ow Tjin-Chiew as their expert witness.
He said Ms Leong had a severe and complex dentofacial deformity which was one of the more difficult conditions to treat. He found that the post-surgical care and management of Ms Leong after each of the surgeries were reasonable, appropriate and in accordance with the proper standard of care.
Judge Tan found on the evidence that Ms Leong’s gum disease was “caused by her lack of dental hygiene” and not by the three surgeries.
Her claim of being unable to open her mouth completely was limited to a “mere 5mm” and she rejected an offer for chronic pain management, so her condition may not be as serious as alleged, said Judge Tan.
Despite claiming that she had difficulty speaking, Ms Leong had no supporting medical evidence and did not exhibit any such impediment at trial, said the judge.
“She was articulate and her voice was clearly audible despite being masked even though this was no longer a requirement at the time,” said Judge Tan.
She said Ms Leong had “no basis whatsoever” to blame the surgeons for her alleged injuries, and her case on negligence fails on this point alone.
Although Ms Leong had made a claim for loss of wages of S$1.6 million for the period June 2016 to August 2022, she did not give any evidence to support this.
She did not call her previous employer, World First Asia, to give evidence. Instead, it appears from documents that she had voluntarily resigned in May 2016 and accepted an ex gratia lump sum payment.
“Hence, any loss of income would have been self-induced,” said the judge.
On Ms Leong’s claim of about S$100,000 for her debt to the bank for her medical expenses, Judge Tan said there was no evidence as to how it was attributable to the surgeons’ alleged breaches of duty.
Ms Leong also disclosed at trial that her medical bills were in fact covered by insurance, so her “entire claim appears suspect”, said the judge.
The judge noted that while Ms Leong might be accorded “some measure of indulgence” as a self-represented litigant, she is nonetheless subject to the same rules and procedures of the court.
She directed parties to file written submissions on the issue of costs.
More than 4 million foreign visitors have cleared immigration through the automated lanes to date, the authority said.
Eligible foreign visitors can submit their SG Arrival Card through the MyICA mobile app or on ICA’s website within three days prior to arrival in Singapore. Submission is free.
They will be directed to the automated lanes, where their biometrics – iris, facial and fingerprint images – are automatically enrolled during the clearance process.
Information on their enrolment is included in the electronic visit pass, which will be sent via email after immigration clearance.
Foreign visitors who are enrolled will then be able to use the automated lanes during departure and on future visits to Singapore.
“ACI is a critical component of ICA’s New Clearance Concept, which aims to make automated immigration clearance the norm at the checkpoints,” said ICA, adding that automated lanes leverage multi-modal biometric scanning technology to provide travellers with a “more secure, efficient, and seamless immigration clearance experience”.
The authority added that it expects 95 per cent of all arrivals at Changi Airport to be cleared through the automated lanes by the first quarter of 2024.
With the automated lanes taking up less physical space and requiring less manpower, ICA will be able to increase its clearance volume and meet the growing traveller volume, which is expected to reach 300 million travellers per year by 2025.
“Correspondingly, the job roles of ICA officers will be enhanced, as ICA moves away from manual clearance,” it added.
“Prior to the ACI, most foreign visitors would have to queue at the manual counters upon arrival for immigration clearance. With the ACI, those eligible can now proceed directly to the automated lanes for immigration clearance, even if it is their first time visiting Singapore,” said ICA’s Assistant Commissioner Phua Chiew Hua, who is deputy director for operations.
“We have made the enrolment process as seamless as possible, so that travellers can perform self-enrolment at the automated lanes while clearing immigration. If required, our officers deployed at the automated lanes will assist them.”
Tickets for Jacky Cheung’s 60+ Concert Tour will be priced between S$168 and S$388, excluding booking fees. In 2012, Cheung set the Guinness World record for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months with his Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour which saw 2,048,553 audience members.
When asked about his achievements, Cheung said: “I try my best at every performance, and with each performance, I gain a little more. I am grateful and heartened by the immense support everyone has shown me.”
The girl group also announced additional stops for their Ready To Be tour: The Philippines, Thailand, London, Paris and Berlin. Recently, Twice made history as the first girl group to sell out Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Twice was formed in 2015 through the survival show Sixteen and has since released multiple chart-topping hits including Cheer Up, TT, Fancy and The Feels. In 2022, the members of Twice renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment – breaking the “seven-year jinx” which usually sees groups disbanding after their seventh year.
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A recent survey showed that public satisfaction with cleanliness remains high in Singapore. Cleaners play a crucial role in this, says writer Richard Hartung.Continue Reading
By the time garments reach stores thousands of miles away from where they were made, they would have traversed a complex and fragmented global supply network where unsafe conditions and abuse can flourish, says this University of Michigan professor.Continue Reading
The recent spike in COVID-19 infections driven by XBB subvariants may be part of living with endemic COVID-19. But there is still the concern of long COVID, which may increase with reinfection, says infectious diseases doctor Loh Jiashen.Continue Reading
SINGAPORE: Singapore and China will hold a joint military exercise this week, their first combined drills since 2021. The exercise will be held from Apr 28 to May 1, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Monday (Apr 24). “The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducts regular bilateral and multilateral exercisesContinue Reading