15-year-old schoolgirl died after 'doctor mistook tuberculosis for lovesickness'

[MrLiberty]

Alina Sarag was seen by more than five doctors at four different hospitals but medics failed to detect the curable disease.

Her distraught parents even called her GP more than 50 times about their daughter's ailing condition over a four-and-a-half month period before her death on January 6 last year.

An inquest heard that her GP, Dr Sharad Shripadrao Pandit, accused her parents of "mollycoddling" her.

Shockingly, he even claimed her symptoms were brought on because she was 'lovesick'.

Her distraught father, Sultan Sarag, 43, broke down as he told Birmingham Coroner's Court: "The doctor said to her 'Did you meet someone on holiday? Are you missing him?'

"She found it very distressing he was suggesting she was lovesick for a boy.

"He said all the problems were in her head and she should see a psychiatrist or spiritual healer.

15-year-old schoolgirl died after 'doctor mistook tuberculosis for lovesickness' - Telegraph

This will be the future in this country with obamacare.

[Manitou]

It's frightening enough when doctors call what they do their "practice". I hope the fool contracts AIDS.

[saltwn]

Originally Posted by MrLiberty

15-year-old schoolgirl died after 'doctor mistook tuberculosis for lovesickness' - Telegraph

This will be the future in this country with obamacare.

I knew an excellent doctor who made a fatal error concerning one of his best friends. He ran every test on him except TB until it was too late.
Even medical people don't often think of this disease which ravaged us before medicare and medicaid were instituted.
It is now more of an institution illness. Prisoners and maybe sick immigrants pass it on. It is very treatable today but you have to catch it in time.

[cgrear7375]

Can I ask how do you make that mistake?

[Pretty Flamingo]

From the link in the original post:

Alina first contracted TB in 2009 after a girl at her school was diagnosed with the illness.
She was prescribed a course of antibiotics at Birmingham Chest Clinic but medical staff never followed up her treatment.
Alina was struck down again in July 2010 after returning from a trip to Pakistan with her family.
The inquest heard a simple phlegm test would have shown Alina was suffering from TB but this was never carried out.
Instead, doctors shrugged off her family's concerns and told them Alina was suffering from a chest infection despite being classed as a "high risk" patient.


That is the failure; she was not followed up by the hospital. In my opinion although the GP (general practitioner) was at fault in not running tests and dealt with her in an inhumane manner, the Birmingham Chest Clinic was negligent in my opinion in failing to follow her up.

This, my friends, is the NHS in the UK.

[Pretty Flamingo]

Originally Posted by cgrear7375

Can I ask how do you make that mistake?

We like to think doctors are infallible, but this proves they are not. Equal fault lies with the Birmingham Chest Clinic.

[cgrear7375]

Originally Posted by SHOSHANA

We like to think doctors are infallible, but this proves they are not. Equal fault lies with the Birmingham Chest Clinic.

Well at least here we have a TB yearly TB test we must take as a healthcare worker. Now I am not sure if you have the same tests there as here, but it takes forty eight hours till the can read the test if a positive result comes back then they take three I believe it is sputum test to confirm that it is accurate. I just don't see how you can misdiagnose TB is all.

[mlurp]

This is so to have happened to anyone. Seems these doctors are becoming like the elite class of A-Holes.

So much was missed or not done as pointed out. A darn shame, and her parents ought to sue. By the time they win they will be near retirement.

[mlurp]

Originally Posted by SHOSHANA

From the link in the original post:

Alina first contracted TB in 2009 after a girl at her school was diagnosed with the illness.
She was prescribed a course of antibiotics at Birmingham Chest Clinic but medical staff never followed up her treatment.
Alina was struck down again in July 2010 after returning from a trip to Pakistan with her family.
The inquest heard a simple phlegm test would have shown Alina was suffering from TB but this was never carried out.
Instead, doctors shrugged off her family's concerns and told them Alina was suffering from a chest infection despite being classed as a "high risk" patient.


That is the failure; she was not followed up by the hospital. In my opinion although the GP (general practitioner) was at fault in not running tests and dealt with her in an inhumane manner, the Birmingham Chest Clinic was negligent in my opinion in failing to follow her up.

This, my friends, is the NHS in the UK.

And the first line should have had every child checked out for TB.

[faithful_servant]

A while back salty and I had a conversation about the lack of medical professionals in this country. One of salty's comment was that we could open our doors to medical professionals from other countries. Hopefully, salty will see that there is a small problem with this and she will possibly take a lesson from this story and realize that just maybe there's a reson why we are pretty picky about who we allow to treat our patients. Maybe she'd like volunteer to be a test case for incoming physicians from countries with standards of medical education as low as those in the OP.