However, neither the hospital nor the doctor involved in each case were found guilty.

Also, an average of eight cases yearly would reach an out-of-court settlement as part of a mediation process, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a written reply to a question that was not answered in Parliament on Monday (Jan 19).

Ms Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC) had asked for the number of medical negligence cases at public hospitals in the last five years, in view of the heavy demand on them.

She also asked about the procedures for detecting such negligence and to prevent a repeat of any lapses.

Mr Khaw replied that heavy demand should not be an excuse for any act of medical negligence.

A healthcare professional may be found negligent by the court if he fails to exercise reasonable diligence and care when providing treatment and causes injury to his patient as a result.

But not all claims of medical negligence are valid, said Mr Khaw.

'Some adverse outcomes do happen in hospitals, despite the best efforts, and may not be due to medical negligence,' he pointed out.

"For instance, a patient can develop a serious drug allergy after receiving an antibiotic that is medically indicated for the first time.

'This may be an acceptable adverse outcome of the drug.'

Still, there are lessons from each adverse event, he added.

It is the reason the hospitals have a Sentinel Event Reporting System, which allows them to review the events, determine the root causes, recommend risk-reduction strategies and follow up on the implementation.

The Health Ministry monitors these reviews to ensure corrective measures are put in place and would share the lessons with the healthcare community, Mr Khaw said.