Air hostess cancer victim's mum disappointed with Parliament report on GP sanctions

Air New Zealand flight attendant Susan McEwan died of ovarian cancer after it was misdiagnosed by nine GPs. Photo / Supplied

A Southland woman whose daughter died of ovarian cancer after nine GPs failed to diagnose the disease is gutted that a committee of MPs has rejected her plea for an independent health review office.

Margaret Dynes' daughter Susan McEwan died at the age of 44 in 2014 after a battle with cancer.

The Air New Zealand flight attendant had visited 10 GPs over four years to try to find out what was causing her acute pain and discomfort. It was the 10th, an intern, who finally discovered she had ovarian cancer. By that stage, McEwan's cancer had progressed and she died two years later.

Margaret Dynes wants an independent health review office, similar to the Education Review Office, to monitor GPs' performance and hold them to account. Her petition, which had more than 4000 signatures, was presented to Parliament in August.

Dynes spoke to the Health Select Committee on her petition in August, saying there had been a "huge groundswell of agreement" with her petition.

However, the select committee, chaired by Labour's Louisa Wall, said proposed changes to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill, would achieve some of what Dynes and the other petitioners were seeking.

In a report published last week, the committee said the bill would allow anyone, including patients and members of the public, to inform an authority if they had concerns about practitioners. It would also insert a provision specifying that a function of authorities would be to promote and facilitate collaboration and co-operation between disciplines in delivering health services.

"The bill also provides for the regular, independent performance review of responsible authorities, looking at how effectively and efficiently authorities perform their functions," the committee said in its report.

Dynes told the Herald there was nothing in the report that would save lives and nothing that sanctioned doctors who didn't do their jobs properly.

"They fall back on the excuse it's very difficult to diagnose ovarian cancer. It's not, if the doctor is considering that it could be cancer and it could be ovarian cancer," she said.

"I'm disappointed that it doesn't go as far as it should, there's nothing to stop general practitioners carrying on with the status quo with impunity in their practices and doing exactly the same to other patients as they did to Susan.

"There are so many women who signed my petition who say they get fobbed off, they're not believed. 'Go home and have a rest and come back in six weeks' time'. In that time it's progressed a bit further and they still might not send them for the correct tests and there's nothing that makes them think I'll get a fine if I don't do this properly, or I'll get struck off or reprimanded'," Dynes said.

"People want change. I picked that up very, very strongly."

The committee noted that ovarian cancer was very difficult to diagnose, and members were committed to supporting the NZ Gynaecological Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of such cancers.

Health Minister David Clark declined to comment.

A spokesman said Clark had huge sympathy for Dynes and her loss but because he was not a member of the health committee he did not feel it was his place to comment.