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Post by zuolun on Mar 8, 2014 9:41:57 GMT 7
Excellent video. Yes, doctors make mistakes all the time. I sadly belong to the majority who don't like talking about my mistakes. Brave guy to break out of the mould and tell it as it is. My respects to him. Many years ago, my uncle died in his sleep immediately after an injection done by a GP practising in the HDB estate. He had a healthy lifestyle and seldom fall sick. His sudden and mysterious death at home due to severe drug allergy was made known only after an autopsy was performed. However, his family members were reluctant to sue the GP, the family doctor for medical negligence. They knew it was an honest mistake — if the patient himself didn't know he had severe drug allergy on a particular common drug, the doctor wouldn't know unless it was recorded. My late uncle's twin brother had lived till 90 years old (30 years longer than him)...also had the same kind of drug allergy after a test. |
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Post by oldman on Mar 8, 2014 9:59:48 GMT 7
I think it is also important to know that doctors usually work in a team. Usually if one falters, the other doctors are likely to pick up on the mistake and correct it before it becomes tragic. It is not common for a team of doctors to make the same mistake together.  |
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Post by zuolun on Mar 8, 2014 10:18:34 GMT 7
I think it is also important to know that doctors usually work in a team. Usually if one falters, the other doctors are likely to pick up on the mistake and correct it before it becomes tragic. It is not common for a team of doctors to make the same mistake together. Although that GP was not sued but I believed he felt apologetic after that incident because he offered free medical services to my late uncle's family members for a few years. |
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Post by zuolun on Mar 8, 2014 15:29:35 GMT 7
I think it is also important to know that doctors usually work in a team. Usually if one falters, the other doctors are likely to pick up on the mistake and correct it before it becomes tragic. It is not common for a team of doctors to make the same mistake together. In Singapore, medical professionals (GPs and Specialists) except dentists need to be partial or fully attached to public/private hospitals in order to do well. The turnover of small private clinics is extremely high in shopping malls and HDB estates (normal and 24/7 ones) due to high operating costs. This reminds me of one SGX-listed healthcare company, Pacific Healthcare Holdings; it's business model is similar to Mary Chia Holdings...   |
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Post by oldman on Mar 8, 2014 16:09:36 GMT 7
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Post by candy188 on Mar 9, 2014 17:53:27 GMT 7
Cannot rely on CPF money with profuse bleeding.  Singapore President Tony Tan lost nearly $42 billion dollars of Singapore’s soverign wealthJim Rogers, a former partner of George Soros in the famed Quantum Fund, said he felt “sad” for Singapore as it would be LOSING A LOT of MONEY.
 Rogers continued,
“They’re making a BIG MISTAKE; these banks have many more problems still ahead. They should wait until these companies are really on the ropes a few years from now . . . and trading at $5 a share.”
 Source: Yours Truly Singapore
Rogers also expressed doubts about the capability of GIC’s fund managers, including Tony Tan,
“I know these people, and they have never given me the impression that they’re smarter than anyone else
…They HAVE GIGANTIC Amounts of MONEY, but they’ve Made a BAD JUDGEMENT in these cases.”
 The news was naturally censored by the Singapore media,
but the Wall Street Journal reported that GIC suffered a loss around 59 billion Singapore dollars (US$41.6 billion) in 2008, making it one of the worst years for the sovereign wealth fund since it was established in 1981.
Now, Tony Tan is Singapore’s president. Josephine Teo: GIC, Temasek won’t take more risksGIC
In late 2007, GIC invested a massive 11 billion Swiss francs (then S$14 BILLION) – GIC’s largest investment ever – for a major stake in UBS.
According to Reuters, GIC’s investment in UBS was later converted to UBS shares at 47.7 Swiss francs, making GIC the largest shareholder of UBS at 6.6% of equity Based on Friday’s (7 Mar) closing price for UBS shares of 18.63 Swiss francs, ===> GIC has LOST some 61% or S$8.5 BILLION.
Are GIC and Temasek already taking a lot more risk than Josephine Teo has assured the House?Singapore's GIC Suffers $41.6 Billion LossSingapore, Abu Dhabi Face Losses on UBS, Citigroup (Update2) GIC may need A DECADE to Recoup $10 BILLION LOSS.
It took the GIC three days in 2007 to agree to prop up UBS, ailing from subprime losses.
Are PAP Ministers Man Enough?Now PM Lee says that ministers should be accountable, whatever the pay, but “Singaporeans must evaluate ministers fairly”, and “they cannot expect ministers to never make mistakes.” The key point is, if your ministers and your government didn’t make people’s lives better, you do not deserve the pay you asked for. If your ministers made serious mistakes, you should just fire them if they didn’t offer their resignation already.
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Post by candy188 on Mar 9, 2014 21:59:36 GMT 7
Investing is not easy & needs common sense, don't count on the academically bright.  Here’s how Warren Buffett made $3.1 billion on his crisis-era bet on Goldman SachsWarren Buffett’s steely-eyed decision to pour $5 billion into Goldman Sachs during some of the darkest hours of the financial crisi s has generated a return—both in cash and on paper—of roughly $3.1 billion.
 Cannot rely on CPF money with profuse bleeding.
Source: Yours Truly Singapore
GICIn late 2007, GIC invested a massive 11 billion Swiss francs (then S$14 billion) – GIC’s largest investment ever – for a major stake in UBS. According to Reuters, GIC’s investment in UBS was later converted to UBS shares at 47.7 Swiss francs, making GIC the largest shareholder of UBS at 6.6% of equity.
Based on Friday’s (7 Mar) closing price for UBS shares of 18.63 Swiss francs, GIC has lost some 61% or S$8.5 billion.
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Post by candy188 on Mar 10, 2014 23:54:40 GMT 7
How does Obama survive? Just write more books will do.  How Much Does The President Make?President Barack Obama earns a base salary of $400,000 per year. He is also given a few nice bonuses like an annual expense account, a travel account and a $20,000 entertainment stipend. These fringe benefits bring the President's total salary to just over $550,000 each year.  When officials are paid more, there is more corruptionChina’s famous historical fiction writer “Eryue He”, that high salary for officials in fact increases corrupt practices among them.
Commenting on the recent crackdown on corruption in China, Ling, who is also a representative of NPC, rejected the idea of paying high salary to civil servants. Comparing the pay for court officials in the Song Dynasty, Han Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, Ling remarked that Song Dynasty officials were actually the most corrupt even though their salary
~~ was 6 times higher than for Han officials
~~~ and 10 times higher than for Qing officials.
Wang pointed out that the duties and responsibilities at every level of office must be clear. The focus must be on having a clean government and combating corruption via self-discipline, control and reformation. Basic ground activities must be closely monitored. If tough penalties like confiscation of property is being handed out, corruption cases will be almost non-existent.  If the government kept emphasizing the need to pay BIG money to them, then the people will demand to be serve well to retain the existence of the ruler, instead of valuing the years of nation building. I think if people are paid well, they will do anything to protect their rice bowl. I don't think they will put themselves in harm's way... after all, they already have a good life. Personally, I don't agree that paying people well will reduce corruption. Corruption takes place in the highest offices which suggests that more money corrupts even more. At the core of corruption is greed. Greed will not stop when you have more money... in fact, it usually gets worse.
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Post by zuolun on Mar 11, 2014 14:21:13 GMT 7
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Post by candy188 on Mar 11, 2014 15:35:32 GMT 7
Miserable life in Singapore bearing the double whammy of high cost of living and remote hope of retrieving our hard earned CPF saving for retirement.   Singapore CPF vs Malaysia EPFWhen Mr Singh referenced Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) 6% interest rate,
she (Josephine Teo) also stressed the need to bear in mind that interest rates are typically higher in countries whose currencies have tended to depreciate over time, “because higher interest rates compensate for weaker currencies”. Really?  The plain truth is that EPF Protects its members from INFLATION and RETURNS ALL MONIES to its members
 ===> while CPF DOES NOT,
having made us all captive investors for their miserly pittance and yet consigned us to the UNCERTAINTY of NOT GETTING BACK all our monies.
===> CPF is NOT SAFE because the 2.5% rate
DOES NOT PROTECT holders from the effect of INFLATION which has averaged 3.7% past 7 years.
 Raise retirement age to 70: Lim Boon Heng Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund portfolio ends 2013 with 587 billion ringgitMalaysia’s Employees Provident Fund announced its investment portfolio ended 2013 with assets of 586.7 billion ringgit ($178.2 billion), up 11.4% from the year before. The latest annual gain was composed of a 6.97% investment return for the year, for record gross investment income of 35 billion ringgit, combined with mandatory contributions by employees and employers of more than 10% of employees’ paychecks.  According to an announcement Sunday on the EPF’s website, the sovereign wealth fund credited a 6.35% dividend payout to member accounts for the year — a record payout in ringgit terms of 31.2 billion ringgit, up 14% from the year before. In the announcement, Samsudin Osman, chairman of the Kuala Lumpur-based EPF, said its continued efforts to diversify its portfolio, in line with “robust yet prudent investment strategies,” have yielded consistently stable performance.
The EPF announcement noted the fund’s total overseas exposure rose to just less than 21% by the end of 2013, up four percentage points from the year before, with an additional $2.2 billion outsourced to external fund managers for global equity mandates during the year. The fund’s allocations to equities, domestic and overseas, ended the year at 252.1 billion ringgit, or roughly 43% of the overall portfolio, up from 38.7% the year before. All other asset classes saw their share of the portfolio edge lower. As of Dec. 31, the EPF’s allocation was
- 43% equities,
- 26.3% loans and bonds,
- 26.1% Malaysian government securities and equivalents,
- 2.5% real estate and infrastructure, and
- 2.1% money market instruments. How EPF makes money for dividend payment“There are two key goals for the EPF when it comes to financial management. The first is capital preservation.“Paramount in the way we structure our assets is basically capital preservation. We cannot afford even a low risk in the loss of capital. Because of that, we carry a very high percentage of government debt and high grade corporate securities. When it comes to equities, we only invest in blue-chip companies and the larger companies because of liquidity,” says CEO Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan.  It’s safety first for the EPF as it is responsible for managing and growing retirement savings of most Malaysians. |
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Post by candy188 on Mar 12, 2014 12:49:37 GMT 7
Confused. Encourage us to study to move up the value chain, now is telling you not to attain overly high education.  Isn't it the responsibility of the government to protect citizens? Isn't the citizens footing the remuneration of our leaders?  Ministry of Manpower cautioned against Singapore producing too many graduates who can’t find enough good jobs – a predicament South Korea and Taiwan find themselves in todayACTING Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin yesterday cautioned against Singapore producing too many graduates who can’t find enough good jobs – a predicament South Korea and Taiwan find themselves in today.
“Their relentless pursuit of paper qualifications resulted in a glut of graduates,” he told Parliament during the Committe of Supply debate on the manpower ministry. “The director-general of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education stated that ‘the abundance of (university) places had undermined the quality of degrees and created a skills mismatch in the job market. People became over-educated and underemployed.” Singapore should not take for granted that it would not face these problems in the future, he said. He noted that by 2020, Singapore would see 40 per cent cohort participation in its local universities. In addition, there would also be many pursuing private or overseas degrees. “In theory, this can mean that we have an increasing pool of better educated and skilled workforce,” he said. “We should be better able to move up the value chain.” But these jobs would only be created by good companies, he said. And these companies would only be here if there’s a healthy economy and a business-friendly environment.  University degree 'not vital for success': Khaw Boon WanSingaporeans Skills Not Enough, But Too Much SkillsIf problems happen, it’s ALWAYS SINGAPORENS who are at FAULT, is it? The G is never at fault, is it? Which GOVERNMENT in the world would CLAIM its CITIZENS are at FAULT,
instead of finding ways to protect its citizens? |
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Post by candy188 on Mar 13, 2014 22:06:32 GMT 7
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Post by zuolun on Mar 15, 2014 14:21:13 GMT 7
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Post by zuolun on Mar 15, 2014 18:00:02 GMT 7
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Post by candy188 on Mar 22, 2014 20:55:53 GMT 7
Stop encouraging fellow Singaporeans to be compassionate if the leaders have difficulty performing this simple act. Compassion-Deficit LEaders careate a Compassion-Deficit SocietyOur government firmly believes in an academic approach to every issue and human beings can actually be told to behave in a certain ways like, “report anything suspicious in the train”, “do not litter”, “please give up your seat”, “keep the corridors clean”, “flush after use”, etc. To a large extent, our behavior is conditioned by our rat-race environment. Leadership has always placed an emphasis on success which is largely determined by a monetary yardstick.
As the stress level increases disproportionately with the lower income group facing survival issues, people become short fused and workload at the IMH increases. Are we kidding ourselves believing that people can become kinder and more gracious in such an environment? We are largely shaped by our experience and no amount of reading/instructions can reshape that experience. Children of the wealthy will never understand what it’s like to go hungry or how hard it is for a poor kid to save $50 dollars.
If PM Lee seriously wants a more compassionate society, he should encourage the elites to frequent hawker centres and food courts as well as regularly visit homes for destitute and elderly Singaporeans.Politicians continue to reward themselves with tax dollars. Almost Half a Million Singaporeans are earning less than $1500 per month.
How compassionate are our leaders when they reward themselves with million dollar salaries with the knowledge that an increasing number of citizens are suffering?
Will our leaders say that cleaners in Singapore are having a better life than in other countries?
7 Uniquely-Singapore Shameful Policies1. Our elderly folks need to work to be independent
I am always embarrassed whenever my foreign friends asked me why our elderly needs to collect plates at the food court or mop the floor in the toilets at Changi Airport.
The question is often asked out of mocked astonishment than anything else. I have told them frankly that our government has neglected social welfare policies all along and everyone needs to work – even if he is 70 years old – so that we can be independent and not rely on the government for handout. From the article:  And negative Marcus is: "We are programmed to think only about ourselves," he exclaimed. "The only thing that matters is money - helping people is not important."
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