Medical malpractice alleged in Málaga’s fifth Swine Flu death (Spain)
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_23479.shtml
Oct 14, 2009
The patient’s family accuse the eight doctors who attended her of negligence in failing to test for the virus in time
The family of a 27 year old woman, D.G.S., who died at Málaga’s Hospital Civil at the end of last month have accused the eight doctors who attended her of negligence in failing to detect that she had contracted the swine flu virus. The separated mother of two had no underlying health condition and her family alleges in the complaint they have filed that her death was due to the late diagnosis and treatment of the A virus.
They believe her life could have been saved if samples had been taken to test for the virus the first time she attended the hospital’s emergency department with what they say were ‘clear symptoms’ of the flu.
The woman was sent home by casualty doctors on three occasions over a period of 2 days after being treated for what was initially diagnosed as retro-cardiac pneumonia. On her family’s insistence and her increasingly worsening condition, she was finally admitted into observation early on 15th September.
She then spent two weeks under sedation and on ventilation in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. It was while she was in ICU that Diario Sur says she was finally diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, and was immediately put on a double dose of medication. She however died on 29th September.
A judge is now investigating the malpractice complaint which EFE notes, if it goes ahead, could mean a prison term of up to four years and a ban from the medical profession for up to six years.
Schools ordered to post absence level
By: Nick Martin
14/10/2009
Education Minister Peter Bjornson has ordered school divisions to begin immediately posting online the level of absence for each school on a daily basis — either a message of no unusual absenteeism, or higher than usual absenteeism.
Bjornson’s letter sent out Tuesday does not define unusual absenteeism, nor does it make any reference to the H1N1 flu.
Bjornson announced two weeks ago that divisions would have to provide daily updates of absenteeism on their websites, but only put it in writing Tuesday.
So far in the city, only Pembina Trails School Division had been posting a daily update of school-by-school absences 10 per cent above the seasonal norms. And to date, none has had that many students absent.
That 10-per-cent-above-usual figure was previously to have triggered schools alerting their public health nurse, but Bjornson’s letter emphasizes that schools must post publicly anything above normal absences.
School divisions had been slow to respond until they got orders in writing from Bjornson, and what had been posted so far varied widely.
Interlake School Division listed all its schools and said it will indicate if any exceed 10 per cent absenteeism.
Seven Oaks School Division has a flu pandemic link on its home page, which says Seven Oaks will go public if a school exceeds seasonal norms in absences three consecutive days.
Louis Riel division superintendent Terry Borys has a note on the division’s home page — titled “Do you have ConFLUsion?” — notifying parents that LRSD won’t be posting anything until Bjornson tells educators in writing what he wants them to do.
But meanwhile, says Borys, the division has not had any confirmed cases of H1N1.
Superintendents met Sept. 23 with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, which reiterated earlier messages from the province that health authorities will handle the release of all flu information — which would not include identifying an individual school in any way.
As Borys wrote on Louis Riel’s website: “We understood that the Province (and in particular Manitoba Health) would communicate when influenza is circulating in public schools. Indeed, we were told that when we start to get cases of H1N1, that we should all avoid providing detailed information about specific student numbers or schools and give the main message that influenza has arrived, and what that means to all schools.”
But when the Free Press reported last month that school divisions would not be publicly identifying any unusual health problems at individual schools in the face of a possible flu pandemic, there was strong reader reaction demanding information.
And when Premier Gary Doer later that day went on CJOB radio and said that, as a parent, he’d want to know if there was flu in his child’s school, Bjornson announced a change in policy within a few hours.
Winnipeg, St. James-Assiniboia, River East Transcona and Seine River have been posting only the Manitoba Health messages and links that were issued months ago. Just outside the city, Sunrise and Lord Selkirk have done the same.