"I have a patient in his sixties who spent the last ten years caring for his wife with cancer.  When his wife passed away, he was suddenly overwhelmed by his own illnesses which he had neglected while caring for his wife.  He was seeing at least four other specialists and had to be brought in each time by volunteers on a wheelchair.

He had no money to buy food, had only one meal which he tried to spread through the day, and sometimes skipped his medications.

He did not reveal this to me till I had spent a longer time probing into his day to day life.  I felt the system had failed him.  This patient and many more I see inspire me constantly in my work on integrated care."

 

Dr Emily Ho
Director, SingHealth Regional Health System,
Consultant, Dept of Endocrinology
Singapore General Hospital

 

Tags: Doctor