Pappa W/O Veeramuthu v NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES GROUP PTE. LTD.

[2023] SGHC 70 High Court (General Division) 29 March 2023 HC/DCA 39/2022

1 cases cited (0 SG, 1 foreign)

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	29 March 2023
Judge	Hri Kumar Nair
Charges / claim	Tort
Counsel	K&L Gates Straits Law LLC, Legal Clinic LLC, Melissa Er, Palaniappan Sundararaj, Ranita Yogeeswaran, Vanessa Yong

Source: [2023] SGHC 70, High Court (General Division), decided 29 March 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Tort — Negligence — Breach of duty

Practice Areas

Tort

Judges (1)

Hri Kumar Nair Delivered

Counsel (6)

K&L Gates Straits Law LLC Firm Legal Clinic LLC Firm

Melissa Er Counsel for the respondent

Palaniappan Sundararaj Counsel for the appellant

Ranita Yogeeswaran Counsel for the appellant

Vanessa Yong Counsel for the respondent

Parties (2)

National University Health Services Group Pte Ltd Respondent

Pappa w/o Veeramuthu Appellant

Case Significance

Pappa w/o Veeramuthu v National University Health Services Group Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC 70 was decided by Hri Kumar Nair J in the General Division of the High Court, District Court Appeal No 39 of 2022, heard on 22 February 2023 with judgment delivered on 29 March 2023. Mdm Pappa, aged 80, fell and fractured her other leg on 10 April 2017 while recovering from surgery on her broken right leg at Jurong Community Hospital, which is owned and managed by the respondent, and sued in negligence for breach of duty. After a three-day trial in DC/DC 890/2020 the District Judge dismissed her claim; on appeal, Hri Kumar Nair J allowed the appeal.

Summary

Pappa w/o Veeramuthu, an 80-year-old rehabilitation patient, sued National University Health Services Group Pte Ltd in negligence after she fell and fractured her leg while staying at Jurong Community Hospital. A District Judge had dismissed her claim, and she appealed. The High Court allowed the appeal, finding that the hospital had breached its duty of care by allowing her to remain seated despite her pain and by not placing the call bell within her reach, and directed further hearing on contributory negligence and costs.

What was the outcome of Pappa w/o Veeramuthu v National University Health Services Group [2023] SGHC 70?

Hri Kumar Nair J allowed Mdm Pappa's appeal. The 80-year-old had fallen and fractured her leg while recovering at Jurong Community Hospital, and the District Judge had dismissed her negligence claim after a three-day trial before the High Court reversed that decision on 29 March 2023.

What happened to Mdm Pappa at Jurong Community Hospital ([2023] SGHC 70)?

On 10 April 2017, while recovering from surgery on her broken right leg at Jurong Community Hospital, 80-year-old Mdm Pappa w/o Veeramuthu fell and fractured her other leg. She sued the hospital's owner, National University Health Services Group, in negligence for breach of duty.