I hope to draw attention to the lack of crucial information, necessary support and care services offered by Singapore General Hospital by sharing my very recent and distressing experience.

My mum was unexpectedly and suddenly diagnosed as having stomach cancer on 31st May. She was told to go for an operation as soon as possible.

My family had implicit trust in the professionalism and expertise of the medical consultant and surgeon. We quickly made arrangements and my mum had her entire stomach removed on 1st June.

It was only after the operation that I realised to my cold horror, how paltry and inadequate post-operation support and information were, if they are made available at all.

Firstly, my mum no longer has a stomach. She has to watch her diet and currently suffers acutely from The Dumping Syndrome. I had expected detailed and comprehensive information on my mum’s diet from the dietician.

However, the dietician at SGH gave my family only a single sheet of paper explaining the “Postgastrectomy Diet”. The generic guidelines were supposed to cater to both patients who have had parts of or their entire stomachs removed.

The guidelines had no concrete examples of what to consume ideally. At best, they were vague. At their worst, they were meaningless to a layman and state confusingly to “choose foods which are high in calories, protein and nutrients”.

There was no FAQ section attached. There was also no mention of the possible undesirable symptoms or complications which may arise for the patient and family to take note and to adopt pre-emptive measures.

I was most aghast and dissatisfied by the limited information offered, to say the least. It was fair and reasonable to expect a more extensive and specific diet catalogue. But I understand from the dietician that this is the standard and only sheet of dietary advice they issue to postgastrectomy patients. This is not helpful at all.

Upon my mum’s discharge, my family was also not advised on whom to turn to for post-operation support in the event we need additional information on the disease, advice and reassurance on the condition of the patient as we monitor her progress at home, and the options rendered available to us should there be exceptional circumstances.

I had to surf the Internet for relevant information, enlist my friends to help, make numerous phone calls and repeat details over and over again to various organizations, on top of everything else.

I believe in the necessity of establishing a strong network of support and information for patients and their care-givers. In my case, there was a severe lack.

I hope SGH can look into this and improve their post-operation care services to minimise the trauma and helplessness experienced by both patient and family.