Orphaned Vietnamese baby treated at Singapore's KK Hospital in 2017 dies, age 3

SINGAPORE - An orphaned Vietnamese baby who was treated in a Singapore hospital two years ago has died.

According to his Facebook page, Loc Pham Duc Loc died on Thursday (Dec 19) of infection while being treated in a Vietnam hospital. He was three.

Loc was found abandoned at Van Buc Temple in Vietnam's southern coastal province of Ben Tre in July 2016.

Taken in by the temple, he had hydrocephalus, an abnormal build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain.

Loc was treated at two hospitals in Vietnam but was pronounced incurable by the doctor after two surgeries.

Learning of his plight, the Vietnamese community in Singapore suggested that he be brought to Singapore for treatment.

The Straits Times reported that he arrived here in January 2017 and was admitted to KK Women and Children's Hospital, where his condition improved after several operations.

After restaurant owner Nguyen Hong Thao set up an online crowdfunding page to raise money for his treatments, his fight for survival caught the attention of many Singaporeans. The campaign raised more than $100,000.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/phamduclocsg/photos/rpp.610931862438855/1184701711728531[/embed]

One of the Singaporeans was Mr Louis Ng, MP for Nee Soon GRC, who helped call for donations on Facebook and visited Loc several times.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, he said it was "absolutely heartbreaking" that he had passed on after suffering so much.

Speaking to ST, Mr Ng said he remembered that Loc had been doing well when he celebrated his first birthday.

"I'm glad that Loc was showered with love during his last few years. At least he had a fighting chance."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/LouisNgKokKwang/posts/3245727072121080[/embed]

The MP also recalled how people here were touched by Loc's situation two years back, with one Singaporean even putting up her name to be a guarantor for the bill of around $8,000 per day at the intensive care unit.

Facebook posts by Ms Nguyen on Loc's wake in Vietnam have been shared over 15,000 times, with more than 11,000 comments offering condolences.

ST has contacted Ms Nguyen for more information.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.