A 26-year-old man will be charged in court on Wednesday (April 24) for his involvement in publishing a false article alleging a miscarriage at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
The article, titled “The baby is probably dead – Woman shares a harrowing account of her miscarriage at KKH A&E,” was published on Wake Up Singapore’s (WUSG) website, as well as its Facebook and Instagram pages on Mar 23, 2022.
KKH subsequently filed a police report regarding the false article, which alleged that the hospital’s mismanagement led to a patient suffering a miscarriage after a four-hour wait for COVID-19 treatment and abdominal pains on Feb 28, 2022.
Upon receiving the police report, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) consulted the Attorney-General’s Chambers and was authorised to investigate the matter. Investigations revealed that the 26-year-old man was the administrator for WUSG’s online platforms, and the allegations in the article were found to be untrue.
According to the report, the man will be charged with defamation for his involvement in spreading the false story, with potential penalties including jail time and fines if found guilty.
He can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
APOLOGY
After the woman who made the claims admitted to lying, Wake Up Singapore apologised for publishing the false information, stating that they had been misled. The woman explained that she had sent false information in the “heat of the moment” due to emotional distress following a past miscarriage handled by the hospital.
Following the admission of falsehood, Wake Up Singapore was issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) in March 2022.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed that KKH had seen the patient in question promptly upon her arrival in February 2022 and that no miscarriage occurred.
Wake Up Singapore complied with the correction notice by posting retractions on Facebook and Instagram and removing the original false posts.
Update On 24 April : According to ST report, Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar, 26, allegedly wrote and published a story in March 2022 titled: “The Baby Is Probably Dead – Woman Shares A Harrowing Account Of Her Miscarriage At KKH A&E.” Ariffin appeared in court on April 24 but did not enter a plea. His case is scheduled for another hearing on May 24.
BACKSTORY :
The unidentified woman had shared her account of the alleged incident via the alternative news source Wake Up Singapore, along with a redacted hospital bill dated Feb 28. In her story, she mentioned being 20 weeks pregnant and testing positive for COVID-19.
After experiencing severe abdominal pains, she claimed to have been denied treatment by two private hospitals due to her COVID-19 status, before finally arriving at KKH’s emergency department around 2pm. According to the woman, she was told to wait at the drop-off area and started bleeding profusely at 5pm without receiving any medical attention. It was only at 6pm that a doctor informed her of a miscarriage.
Prof Tan responded to the alleged incident by stating that there were discrepancies between the story and the bill information shared online. He mentioned that preliminary investigations indicated no such case at the hospital on the reported date. He also emphasized that KKH does not turn away patients in need of medical care, and patients are triaged and attended to based on the severity and urgency of their condition.
The KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) later denied any records of a pregnant woman who allegedly lost her baby after waiting at the accident and emergency department for about four hours. In response to queries from media, Professor Tan Hak Koon, chairman for the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) at KKH, stated that the hospital was unable to identify the patient despite their best efforts.
Top Images : Wake Up Singapore/Instagram
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