By MONIQUE DEVEREUX health reporter
Paihia woman Colleen Poutsma, who is dying of cervical cancer, has dropped her court case against disgraced gynaecologist Graham Parry because she is too sick to cope with cross-examination.
Mrs Poutsma was claiming $60,000 in exemplary damages against Dr Parry, who was last year found guilty of disgraceful conduct.
He failed to diagnose Mrs Poutsma's illness when she was referred to him with abnormal bleeding in August 1997.
The Medical Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal fined Dr Parry $15,000 after deciding his treatment of Mrs Poutsma was grossly negligent. He was also censured and directed to pay $56,280 in costs.
Yesterday, Mrs Poutsma's husband, Jack, said the couple had no choice but to drop the case because Mrs Poutsma's condition was getting steadily worse.
She now slept for up to 20 hours a day and was taking a cocktail of prescribed drugs to try to control her pain. When awake she was not always coherent and sometimes could not recognise her own bedroom.
Although she had stabilised from a few weeks ago, Mr Poutsma said his wife was "just in no condition to face cross-examination, even though we would have been able to do that part of it at home."
Mr Poutsma said he did not need the $60,000 and the case was "really just to make a point."
"We decided it's just not worth it. She's only got weeks to live so really, why bother."
The money would have been donated to the hospice that had cared for her. Mr Poutsma said his wife would now remain at home until she died.
Harry Waalkens, counsel for Dr Parry, said his client was pleased the case had been dropped and would not seek the costs he was now entitled to claim - around $2000 - "out of compassion."
'Too ill' cancer victim drops damages claim
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