SINGAPORE — Mrs Lydia Toh, 34, who was on a business trip to Medan, Indonesia, took a taxi last Saturday evening with her supervisor from Aryaduta Hotel where they were staying to go out for dinner.

After they were done at about 10pm, they took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel as they could not get a taxi. On their way back, Mrs Toh’s handbag was grabbed by two men who were on a motorcycle. She fell face first to the ground, suffering a heavy fall and fracturing her skull.

Mrs Toh, an Executive Officer at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, was pronounced brain dead on Sunday night after she was evacuated by air to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

According to NTU, Mrs Toh and her supervisor, Mr Alan Phua, was in Medan to administer the annual admissions entrance examination for international students.

After her fall, an unconscious Mrs Toh was rushed to the nearest hospital, Dr Pirngadi Kota Medan Hospital, located about 10 minutes away.

Her family was contacted and Mr Phua also called the Singapore Embassy and was advised that Colombia Asia Hospital was the best medical facility in Medan. With the consent of her family, Mrs Toh was transferred to the bigger hospital.

Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education) Kam Chan Hin said: “We are deeply saddened by what has happened and my staff and I, as well as NTU’s Senior Management, are doing all we can to assist and support the family ... NTU will spare no effort to seek the best medical expertise for her.”

According to Professor Kam, NTU Provost Freddy Boey and members of the university’s Senior Management visited Mrs Toh yesterday and spoke with her family members.

NTU will be footing all expenses, including the evacuation and hospital bills in Singapore and Medan.

Mrs Toh is currently warded at SGH’s Intensive Care Unit. The family intends to keep her on life support for as long as possible.

Speaking to TODAY at SGH, Mrs Toh’s elder sister, Mdm Joanne Koh, said: “She was supposed to fly back on Sunday, in time to see her new furniture. She and her husband had their bed custom-made. They just renovated their house ... Now she doesn’t have the chance to use it.”

Mdm Koh added that Mrs Toh had planned to go to Europe next month. “While in Medan, she messaged her husband, ‘when I get back, let’s go book the tickets together’.”

Upon hearing the news, Mdm Koh and Mrs Toh’s husband took the first flight out of Singapore to Medan on Sunday morning. They arrived at Medan at about 8.30am local time.

Mrs Toh, accompanied by her husband, flew out of Medan about two hours later.

Mdm Koh said she was disappointed with NTU’s handling of the matter. Among other things, she said that although International SOS (iSOS) had an account with NTU, it took the university more than four hours to go through the procedure to allow the expenses to be charged to their account.

This was a critical delay that her sister could not afford, she said.

According to NTU, the iSOS representative said the Medan airport had closed for the day as it did not operate around the clock. Preparations had to be made by iSOS, including to source for an aircraft and ensure it had the relevant equipment and materials on-board.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided consular assistance to Mrs Toh and Mr Phua in Medan, said the Indonesian police is investigating the incident.