FOR 90 minutes, National University Hospital (NUH) staff had left kidney donor Narindar Kaur, 33, alone. One of her kidneys had been removed to be transplanted into her husband, and she was recuperating in a general ward.

The transplant gave her husband a new lease of life, but within hours of the operation, the mother of three young children died of internal bleeding. Her family sued NUH and two doctors for medical negligence and breach of contract.

Yesterday, four years after the operation, the High Court cleared surgeons Li Man Kay and David Consigliere, but found that NUH had to shoulder some of the blame for Madam Narindar's death.

NUH now takes extra preventive steps

SINCE Madam Narindar Kaur's death, the National University Hospital (NUH) has moved to place all post-surgical donor patients in a high-dependency ward for 24 hours before sending them to a general ward.

This ensures continuous mechanical monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate and oxygenation.

Madam Narindar was moved to the general ward just 21/2 hours after surgery and after her condition had stabilised in the recovery room.

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