We thank Mr Ong Kok Lam for his feedback (More checks and controls needed in healthcare, Jan 22).

We are sorry for the anxiety we caused Mr Ong and his wife.

When Mrs Ong presented her prescription at the pharmacy after her procedure, the pharmacist noted that the system showed two different prescriptions in her name.

As part of our safety practice, our pharmacists will review all prescriptions and promptly intervene to ensure accuracy before dispensing.

Our pharmacist was therefore able to quickly verify with the doctor and found that the prescription for another patient had been accidentally keyed into Mrs Ong's record.

The error was rectified immediately. We would like to assure Mrs Ong that she received the correct medication.

We continually review our system and processes to make them safer and more efficient.

In addition to checks which are in place to ensure that the right medication is dispensed to the right patient, we have also reminded our staff to be extra vigilant when verifying patients' identity to prevent similar incidents in future.

Ong Hock Soo (Associate Professor)

Head and Senior Consultant

Department of Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgery

Singapore General Hospital