Q:

Can I sue for negligence if my son was badly scarred after an appendectomy?

With negligence, the first thing that needs to be proven is that the doctor or hospital owed a ‘duty of care’ to your son to ensure that his scarring is as minimal as possible. The next step is to prove that the surgeon in question did not meet the ‘standard of care’ expected of him. This standard will be based on that of his peers. You will either have to consult the Singapore Medical Council (which regulates the medical profession in Singapore) or get the opinion of another surgeon (experienced in appendectomies preferably) to say that the stitching done was clearly negligent and in breach of the standard of care expected of him, which resulted in the unsightly scar. The final step is to quantify how the scarring has affected your son’s life in order to put a figure to the damages you intend to claim. The most difficult part in your case is to prove that the standard of care was breached. You will need another doctor to say that the stitching was shoddy and not a result of natural keloid formation – a service you’ll have to pay for. Remember, an out-of-court settlement means reduced legal expenses.

You should be looking at claiming for costs of reparative cosmetic surgery, incidental costs and your legal costs if indeed the surgeon was negligent.

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