The head of NTUC, Ng Chee Meng, recently shared his thoughts on a court case that has garnered significant attention for NTUC Income, which is now known as Income Insurance. He was very concerned about how the insurance company handled a claim for a man who sadly passed away after a car accident.
A court deputy registrar named Kim Bum Soo had some very strong words for the company. He said that NTUC Income’s actions showed “wholly unreasonable behaviour” and described their approach as “casually impersonal stonewalling.” This happened during a lawsuit filed by the family of Mr. Ko Wah, who was hit by a van in 2019 and died in 2024.
The court found that the insurance company was being unreasonable for no apparent reason. Here are some of the things they argued against:
- Ambulance rides: The company initially didn’t want to pay for the ambulance fees, even though Mr. Ko was bedridden and needed them for hospital visits. The court called this stance “unyielding” and said it “boggled the mind” why the company would take such a position on something so obviously necessary.
- Pain and suffering: The insurer claimed that since Mr. Ko was in a coma for a lot of the time, he couldn’t have felt pain. However, the court pointed out that there was proof he was awake at times and that an injured person who cannot feel pain is still entitled to compensation for “loss of amenities.”
- Medical expenses: Income Insurance even argued about the cost of things like nutritional milk, saying the family should have found cheaper alternatives. The court didn’t accept this argument, as the milk was necessary for a man who could no longer eat solid food.
The judge also noted how different the family’s behavior was from the insurance company’s. The family had carefully kept every receipt for four years, showing a “heartbreaking contrast” to the insurer’s actions. The court praised their “earnest and sustained” care.
The final decision was that the court ordered Income Insurance to pay to Mr. Ko’s son, Mr. Jonathan Ko Wei Ze, more than S$417,000 to cover all the damages and expenses.
Ng Chee Meng’s Statement After the court’s judgment was released, Ng Chee Meng said he was “of deep concern” about the whole situation. He mentioned that while insurance companies must be strict with claims, they also need to be more empathetic.
“While I appreciate that Income will have to exercise rigour and due process,” he wrote, “Income must balance such matters with greater empathy and compassion.”
He also expressed his sympathy to the family for the pain they’ve gone through. He said he was glad that Income Insurance had accepted the court’s decision and admitted that they “could have done better.” This case shows that even big companies sometimes need to be reminded to be fair and kind, especially when dealing with people who are already suffering.
