Hi, I would like to comment on Dr. Lim Ah Leng. I am a filipino and my hubby is american. We are almost completing one year here in Singapore. MY EDD is March 24,09. I started seeing doctor Lim since January 2nd week and at first he was actually an ok doctor, cheap charges. I do not find him a versatile and transcultured doctor. He asked me not to eat too much anymore because baby is 2.2 kgs already for 30weeks baby, he advised me not to walk too much, he advised me not to eat too much. The thing is my baby is half american half filipino baby, and my first baby was actually big just like what i have now. I was feeling scared after walking out of his clinic because he told me if i eat a lot and walk a lot, baby will be stressed and will have lack of oxygen. I felt the sibcerity on his advice ,i tried to follow halfway,because there is no harm on taking his advice and i trusted him. So my next appointment with him is supposedly picking up a date on my cesarean section in two weeks. They explained to me of the charges and the policy of advance one month to pay doctor fee before the scheduled date of operation.
My hubby was so concerned of the advance whole amount pay to the doctor because, we americans never encountered this kind of policy. I explained to my husband that this is singapore and we should just follow the rules and regulations of the professional. He still wants me to ask the following questions like;
1. what if i go into labor earlier before the scheduled date of operation and we rushed into KK or some hospital, is the money we paid to him be refundable? And he answered ,it is refundable 100%
2. Will he be available always in case i go into labor earlier? He said 99% he is available
Then somehow, he got irritated of me asking my husband's inquiry. He told me FIND A DIFFERENT DOCTOR, ANYWHERE THAT IS THE POLICY, IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR MONEY THEN GO TO DIFFERENT DOCTOR. I was surprised of his reactions and what he told me. And it hurts my feelings for him to make me feel being kicked out of his clinic. I tried to keep a humble reaction, i explained to him, Dr. please understand my inquiries because we are foreigner here and my hubby's experience in states is most of the time the doctor is not available on the day of delivery. My husband just wanna make sure you are available and he just want to get an answers from you since my hubby is busy with work. Then Dr. Lim said, here in singapore is very safe, I DO NOT THINK I CAN WORK WITH YOU WITHOUT YOUR TRUST ON ME. I replied back, it is not the distrustful with you, my hubby just want to inquire about these things because we are foreigner here. Why you will kick me out? I have been looking for the gynae for many months till i saw a good comments about you in motherhood portal.
He still insists me to find a doctor, and i try to insists to him that in my situation now, i will be due very soon, i have been seeing him, then why he will want me to switch doctor. I left the clinic peacefully and he appointed me to come back 2weeks after for scheduling of operation.
2weeks my next appointment, i wasn;t able to go to his clinic but i made a call to the staff. the staff said i can make another appointment the next day. The next day, i was having a brown spotting problem, i called his clinic, the assistant said they are open and Dr. Lim will be in the clinic 1 half hour. So my hubby and i went to the clinic, we waited for 2 hours, till the assistant communicated Doc Lim, and i was referred to Dr. Beh. Doc Lim cannot come asap that is why he refer me to Dr. Beh.
Then the next week again, i try to call Dr. Lim again to schedule for an appointment,they told me it is already fully book for the day. Same thing happened over and over again for almost 2 weeks. Till today, the assitant finally told me that they will call me. So i jsut go with the flow, i am thinking that i have to talk with dr. Lim to schedule the operation, and just go to the clinic to pay the doctor fee. I finally talked to him, and he subtle scold me that why i did not show up on the day of my appointment, why i have to call for the scheduling of my operation which instead i have to go to his clinic for operation date and pay the fees.He also said to me, I DO NOT WANT TO WORK WITH U,I HAVE SO MANY FOREIGN PATIENTS HERE BUT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH, OUR RAPPORT IS NOT TOO GOOD. I told him, i have been trying to book an appointment with you for almost 2weeks but they always told me it is fully book. Plus i was always instructed to call in the morning for the queue of appointment. And he told me finally, that my rapport with him is not really good so he cannot assist me with the delivery. FINALLY, that is all i need to know, that he really do not wanted to assist me. Not trying to avoid me all the time of seeing him. I only got less than 3weeks to find a doctor of my own and i do not need any alibis of DOCTOR IN SURGERY, FULLY BOOKED, CALL BACK LATER. I need him or at least one of his staff to tell me to find a different dcotor. He wasted my time and days calling his clinic.
The thing is jsut because of my husband's inquiry, he do not want to assist me? He could have handled the inquiries professionally. I am registered nurse, but i am not flaunting to the world that i am knowledgeable. But even if a regular person/patient has the rights not to be refused by our respectful doctors. Me asking him of things regarding the fees, he could have answered professionally. I am a patient who is the one building a rapport with him. I am a patient who don't really ask questions to him and just taking his advice because TRUST is important with your healthcare provider. Instead he told me our doctor-patient relationship is not good, and telling me i am a difficult patient to deal with.
He hurts my feelings and wasted my time for giving me alibis.
That is all. I am thinking if I am a Singaporean, or we have been here in singapore for many years, we will not end up asking him these questions that made him kick me out of his clinic. I wanted to complaint against his misconduct but i will just leave it alone. I know i should be complaining against him. I just hope that i was not the only one who suffered . I believe i am the one who is building rapport with dr. lim, i communicated with him all the time, that even my hubby's busy schedule, i relayed to Doc Lim hubby's inquiry. I do not understand why he accuse me of DIFFICULT PATIENT TO WORK WITH. Maybe yes because of my mistakes, but i did try my best to follow his isntructions. Anyway, I know everything will work out right for me and the baby.