Patient's Rights and Responsibilities

We respect the rights of all our patients. In return, we ask that you co-operate with us by fulfilling your responsibilities. Please approach our staff if you need any assistance.

As a patient in Changi General Hospital , you have the right to:

1. Be treated with dignity and respect

Receive appropriate and professional healthcare regardless of your age, gender, race, religion, nationality, social status, and physical or mental disabilities.
Meet and talk with family, friends and other visitors during visiting hours unless advised otherwise by your doctor or unless such rights are restricted in accordance with prevailing guidelines such as those implemented to control the transmission of infectious diseases. You also have the right to refuse visitors.
Appoint a representative close to you to assist the medical team to make a clinical decision on your behalf before you lose your mental capacity. If you have made an Advance Medical Directive* or a Lasting Power of Attorney**, inform the medical team. The hospital will respect your known wishes, to the extent permitted by law and the hospital.
Receive a detailed explanation about any research study that you may be invited to participate in. You may refuse to participate or withdraw from any research study. This will not affect the level of care you receive.

2. Receive information and explanation about your medical condition from your healthcare providers

Be informed about your medical condition, treatment options, and possible outcome in a language that you can understand (where possible).
Be informed about the potential significant risks, side effects and alternative methods of treatment, which are clinically supported.
Be provided with clinically important information to make a meaningful decision and have your concerns addressed.
Be informed of common unwanted or unanticipated treatment outcomes, which may occur.
Have access to information and education on your health, self-care and prevention of illness strategies.
Have access to healthcare personnel to clarify any procedure that you have agreed to undergo.

3. Participate in decisions involving your medical condition

Participate in decisions involving your medical condition and potential treatment options.
Seek a second medical opinion.
Refuse medical care or recommended treatment to the extent that is permitted by law. However, in refusing treatment, you will have to accept responsibility for any medical consequences resulting from your decision. (These consequences will be explained to you).
Give consent to procedures that carry significant risks.

4. Know the names and roles of your healthcare providers who are in charge of your treatment and care

5. Confidentiality and privacy of your medical information

Have your medical information at the hospital kept private and confidential. Except where required by law or when you are unable to give permission, it is against the hospital’s policy to share your medical information with anyone else not involved with your care and without your permission.
Have your medical information accessed only by those involved in your care and those monitoring the quality of medical services. All information regarding your care will be kept confidential.
A discharge summary will be given in accordance to the hospital’s policy.
Have your medical records kept in a safe and protected environment.

6. Be aware of estimated costs for investigations, procedures and treatments

7. Give us feedback

We welcome and appreciate feedback on areas of improvement.
The level of service and care provided by the hospital will not be compromised regardless of the feedback received.

Your responsibilities are to:

1. Provide complete and accurate information about yourself

Provide complete and accurate information relevant to your health, including present medical conditions, medications, past illness and previous hospitalisations.
Highlight any drug allergy and important chronic illness you have.
Notify the hospital and the healthcare staff about specific decisions you may have taken, for example, with regards to the continuation of medical treatment.
Inform the doctor(s) of any changes in your health status as well as specific concerns about your condition.
Permit the hospital to obtain your medical records from other hospitals and clinics.
Inform our staff when you leave the hospital against medical advice from our Emergency Department, wards and clinics.

2. Follow the doctor’s recommended treatment plan

Follow the doctor’s treatment plan, and inform us if you face any difficulty.
While warded, take only medications served by our nurses. Do not self-administer your home medications without informing our nurses or doctors. In addition, provide our healthcare staff with information on your current medications, including over the counter medications, vitamins and supplements.
Tell us if you have any concerns about the treatment or if you have deviated from the treatment plan in any way.
Although you have the right to refuse the recommended treatment, you should consider the consequences and alternatives carefully.

3. Show respect and consideration to our staff and patients

Respect the privacy of our patients.
Show respect and consideration to our staff. Any abuse of healthcare workers, whether verbal or physical, will not be accepted.
Be punctual for your appointments. If you need to cancel your appointment, please let us know early.
Be responsible for your own belongings and refrain from bringing valuables to the hospital.

4. Abide by all hospital rules and regulations pertaining to patients and visitors

These include official discharge times, visiting hours and designated public/visitor areas.

5. Treat the hospital’s properties and facilities with care and responsibility

6. Ensure your hospital bills are paid

If you have difficulty paying these bills, please consult our medical social workers for help.

* Advance Medical Directive: A legal document that you sign in advance to inform the doctor/s treating you (in the event that you become terminally ill and unconscious) that you do not want any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to be used to prolong your life.

** Lasting Power of Attorney: A legal document that allows a person who is at least 21 years of age (‘Donor’) to voluntarily appoint one or more persons (‘Donee/s’) to make decisions and act on his/her behalf if he/she loses mental capacity. A Donee can be appointed to act in the 2 broad areas of personal welfare and/or property and affairs.

Organ Donation

The Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) allows for the kidneys, heart, liver and corneas to be removed in the event of death from any cause, for the purpose of transplantation. The HOTA applies to ALL Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are 21 years old and above and of sound mind - unless they have opted out.

On the other hand, the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA) is an opt-in scheme, where people who are not covered under HOTA, as well as people who wish to pledge any organ/tissue not covered by HOTA, can pledge their organs or any other body parts for the purposes of transplant, education or research after they have passed away.

The regulation of living-donor transplantations (e.g., the removal of organs from a living donor for transplantation into a patient) has also been placed under the purview of HOTA since 2004. The living donor need not be related to the patient, but the organ transplant must satisfy the two major professional and ethical concerns. The donor must thoroughly understand the nature and consequence of the medical procedures, and have given his or her consent. Furthermore, there must not be any emotional coercion or financial inducement to donate an organ.

For more information on HOTA, MTERA and living-donor organ transplantation in Singapore, please refer to the Ministry of Health’s “Live On” website, at www.liveon.sg.

Patient's Rights And Responsibilities Brochure (English/Chinese/Malay/Tamil)

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Patient's Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient in Changi General Hospital , you have the right to:

Your responsibilities are to:

Organ Donation

Patient's Rights and Responsibilities