Woman dies after failed diagnosis

Twelve-year-old Dylan Raman holds a photo of his mother, Pushpa, who died from meningococcal septicaemia. Photo / Dean Purcell

A grieving husband wants answers on how his wife died from meningococcal disease, despite repeatedly seeking medical help.

Yanky Raman, of Kelston in West Auckland, says health workers did too little to help his wife, Pushpa Raman, after she became ill last month.

He has laid a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner, Anthony Hill.

Mrs Raman, a 44-year-old Work and Income employee and mother of two boys, felt ill after attending a conference in Hamilton on the morning of September 13.

She had a sore neck on her return to Auckland that afternoon, but put her discomfort down to travelling.

The next day, she went for a work-out at the Club Physical gym in New Lynn, but later felt sick and took the day off work.

Mr Raman took her to the Avondale White Cross clinic, where she was examined by a doctor and sent her home with a prescription for paracetamol and ibuprofen - painkillers that reduce fever.

"In the evening, by 10.30, she couldn't take the pain in her neck and her body was painful," Mr Raman said. "I was massaging her body and her neck.

"I called the ambulance at 11.30. I told them, 'My wife is in pain'. They told me she's not dying, they can't come.

"I called them three times. They came at 1 o'clock. The guy said, 'We can't take her to the hospital. She's just got a fever. Tomorrow morning she will be feeling well.' He said, 'It's not a priority case', and left."

At 2am, Mr Raman and one of the couple's sons took Mrs Raman to the White Cross clinic in Henderson.

"The doctor there said, 'Something's wrong'.

"He called an ambulance from Auckland Hospital. The ambulance came at 3.30. On the way to hospital, I think she had a heart attack. They tried to resuscitate her [at the hospital]."

Mrs Raman died at 5.30am on September 15 - only 36 hours after becoming sick.

A post-mortem examination found her death was caused by blood-poisoning from meningococcal bacteria.

But Mr Raman believes his wife of 19 years could still be alive had she been treated with urgency.

"It is a shock. She was so healthy and fit."

Symptoms of meningococcal disease resemble those of influenza and other less-serious illnesses, making it a difficult disease for doctors to diagnose accurately.

Coroner Murray Jamieson - a former medical practitioner - is still considering Mrs Raman's case, but has previously referred to meningococcal disease as "treacherous".

The St John ambulance service's medical director, Dr Tony Smith, would not be interviewed about the handling of Mrs Raman's case, but said in a statement that an internal review was being conducted.

It was expected to be completed by next month.

White Cross chief executive Alistair Sullivan said yesterday that he could not comment as he did not have access to Mrs Raman's records.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service said it had given preventive medication to contacts of Mrs Raman's who needed it.

A spokeswoman for the Health and Disability Commissioner said a complaint over Mrs Raman's death had been received.

No decision had been made on whether a formal investigation would be conducted.

Between 2004 and 2008, the Government spent more than $200 million on a mass vaccination campaign against B-strain meningococcal disease for those aged under 20. It is not clear what strain Mrs Raman had.

Meningococcal warming signs:
* High fever.
* Headache.
* Vomiting.
* Stiff neck.
* Joint and muscle pain.
* Rash.

What to do
* Seek urgent medical attention.
* Call the 24-hour Healthline, 0800-611-116, for advice.