Mother upset after daughter receives 12 stitches on tongue following fall in preschool
A one-year-old girl who fell at a preschool in Ang Mo Kio has undergone surgery along with getting 12 stitches on her tongue.
However, what upset her mother most was how the school allegedly handled the incident.
Girl receives 12 stitches on tongue after fall at preschool
Lisa, who was attending Little Footprints Preschool at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, suffered the injury on 3 July while playing.
Her mother, Renny Izzatie, 35, shared on Instagram that the school “downplayed the whole situation,” causing a delay in proper medical attention.
Ms Izzatie said she received a call at 12.43pm from her daughter’s teacher, who told her that Lisa had fallen on her bottom and bitten her tongue.
The teacher then reportedly assured her that the bleeding had stopped and Lisa had fallen asleep.
“They asked me to pick Lisa up if I can so I can monitor the cut at home,” Ms Izzatie said in her post.
Only realised severity when she picked Lisa up
“I saw visible blood on the teacher’s shirt,” said Ms Izzatie to MS News, recounting the moment she picked Lisa up at 2.17pm.
In the car, her daughter was drooling and bleeding slightly from her mouth, and repeatedly said, “Mama, pain”.
Upon inspecting her tongue, she realised the wound was much more serious than described.
Source: @mypussykatt on Instagram
She rushed Lisa to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where doctors put the toddler under general anaesthesia and stitched her tongue with 12 sutures.
Doctors discharged Lisa the next day.
“During our post-op review with her surgeon, Dr Liam, on 18 July, we were told that the cut was so deep it had nearly pierced through her tongue,” said Ms Izzatie.
Source: @mypussykatt on Instagram
Footage submitted to Early Childhood Development Agency
After the incident, Ms Izzatie asked to review CCTV footage on 7 July to understand what happened but the school declined, citing company policy.
The school has since sent the full footage with time stamp to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
The senior manager at ECDA handling Lisa’s case has informed Ms Izzatie that they have received the footage and will be conducting a thorough investigation.
Ms Izzatie said that ECDA is currently waiting for a medical report from the hospital.
In a statement to MS News, the ECDA confirmed that they have been informed of the incident.
Investigations are ongoing and they are not able to provide more details of the case.
“The safety and well-being of children in preschools is of utmost importance,” added ECDA.
”If our investigations reveal that any Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDC) Regulations have been breached, appropriate actions will be taken against the preschool operator and staff responsible for the breach.”
School could have managed the incident better, says mum
Since the incident involving her daughter, Ms Izzatie has also emailed her Member of Parliament (MP), Darryl David, to keep him in the loop on the incident.
Mr David replied the following day to offer his assistance.
Source: @mypussykatt on Instagram
Ms Izzatie emphasised that she does not blame the school for the fall itself, but rather how it was managed.
“They are not medical professionals so it’s not up to them to decide what is serious and what is not,” she said.
What upset her the most was the fact that they downplayed the whole situation about the fall and did not even mention how big or deep the cut was.
School says teachers focused on comforting child after fall
Ms Izzatie shared with MS News that the school management had given her a reply on 31 July.
They clarified that as part of the school’s standard procedure, teachers are trained in basic first aid and will promptly attend to any situation involving bleeding or minor injuries.
The teachers’ immediate focus was on comforting and monitoring Lisa.
They observed that the bleeding had stopped shortly after the fall, and she had calmed down.
As such, the centre determined that it was not necessary to bring Lisa to the doctor.
Source: @mypussykatt on Instagram
Ms Izzatie and her husband have filed a police report and engaged a lawyer, adding they expect the preschool to cover any long-term medical costs should complications arise.
In response to MS News queries, the police have confirmed that a report was lodged.
Still shaken by the incident, Ms Izzatie has since withdrawn Lisa, who is turning two in August, from the preschool and enrolled her elsewhere.
“We owe it to Lisa to find answers and seek accountability. By sharing Lisa’s story, we hope that preschools will never take such injuries lightly.”
Also read: S’pore preschool teacher jailed 9 months for tripping toddler 4 times, causing nosebleed
S’pore preschool teacher jailed 9 months for tripping toddler 4 times, causing nosebleed
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Featured image adapted from @mypussykatt on Instagram.
