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.
"When he said that in front of her it totally broke her heart.
"He said she was only doing it to keep me at the house nursing her.
"He [Dr Pandit] said 'It is because of you that she is making it up'.
"He said when she was younger my attitude had a detrimental effect on her.
"I was running around looking after her, nursing her.
"He said 'She's only doing that to keep you in the house so you don't go from there'.
"That's what his explanation was."
Mr Sarag also claimed Dr Pandit refused to test his daughter for TB.
He told the inquest: "He said, 'We don't need these tests, we are not going to get them done either.'
"As you tried to progress he just totally changed the subject."
Mr Sarag - who is also being treated for TB - told the inquest his daughter vomited up to 10 times a day and had to be carried to bed "like an old woman with weak legs".
He added that he made more than 50 phone calls to the GP's surgery in Birmingham but Dr Pandit failed to return his calls.
Mr Sarag said: "There was mass neglect. The medical profession, as soon as they mess up they hide."
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.
Alina's weight plummeted and at one point she was so ill she could only tolerate baby food.
After doctors at Heartland and City hospitals did not detect TB, Alina was admitted to Sandwell Hospital where she stayed for five days.
TB was picked up but no phlegm test was carried out and a chest X-ray was thought to have found a chest infection.
She later saw a clinical psychologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital but was in too much pain to complete the assessment.
On January 6, 2011 Alina was rushed to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties and she died of a cardiac arrest.
Following her death, Alina, who attended Golden Hillock School in Sparkhill, Birmingham, a clinical review revealed doctors missed repeated opportunities to diagnose her condition.
The family have enlisted Birmingham-based solicitors Irwin Mitchell.
The inquest, which is expected to take up to six days and call 20 witnesses, continues.
TIMETABLE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
August 26, 2010: Alina referred to Heartland Hospital but given all-clear.
October 5, 2010: Alina referred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but history of TB not picked up and hospital queried typhoid or an infection.
October 12, 2010: Alina transferred to Sandwell Hospital after going to City Hospital in Birmingham. She remains there for five days and TB is noted but sputum test not carried out.
October 30, 2010: Alina attended Birmingham Children's Hospital where doctors dismissed her condition was "psychological issue".
December 14, 2010: Saw clinical psychologist but was in such extreme pain that the psychologist could not complete the assessment.
January 6, 2011: Mr Sarag dials 999 after Alina has breathing difficulties but she dies of cardiac arrest.
There's nothing "refreshing" about physician caused death, and especially when the family tried so hard to prevent this. The medical profession is a JOKE.
ReplyDeleteI've been in healthcare for 25yrs. From the late 80s I watch hords of third world physicians inported into the U.S. Many shouldn't be allowed to treat your family pet. The overriding factor for bringing them in was cost. They will almost work for food. It was done by big hospital chains to drop the price of U.S. docs, incraesing the bottom line. Still goes on today(even more so)
DeleteWere there no other doctors available in which her family could have taken her?
ReplyDeleteWow, where to start. These people were obviously from the same country as the physician. They trusted him based solely on that fact. It's obvious. Otherwise they would not have thought twice about getting a second opinion. Also look at how long the girl suffered. These parents were obviously dedicated to their "beliefs" that a countryman would do better for their daughter than another qualified (white/black/or purple) doctor. Sheep, because they didn't look up another countryman doctor to take her to, and listened to this assh*le squarely based on the fact he was a figure of authority. (parents = authoritarian personalities.)
DeleteNow let me ask the question that common sense would dictate: HOW LONG would you let your child suffer something until you actually took him/her to the hospital? Did anyone take note of the dates? My child would not have suffered an hour, not a minute, before I would have taken her to the hospital, and if she were still suffering even a little bit later, I'd start asking questions and getting obnoxious until I got the necessary information I needed. Some hospitals don't deserve to operate. One has to wonder at the mental and emotional weights that were put into these parents' decisions to keep with the same doctor and listen to his BS drivel.
This guy should be stripped of any documentation he might have, and charged with murder. But in all seriousness, I doubt the parents will raise a finger.
How very sad for Alina.
I'd wager a bet that this particular "doctor" doesn't have the proper credentials to work in this country. I am from Miami and there's a LOT of people down there that hang out a shingle saying they're a doctor or dentist, and practice out of their home set up as an office. Time after time these people get shut down, only to move to another section of town and set up again. None of them have ever had the proper credentials.
ReplyDeleteI also lived in the virgin islands and have a personal story. My son had a rash that I suspected was measles, so I took him to the pediatrician. This man was from Haiti. While we were sitting in his office, he's explaining to me how measles has changed over the years and looks nothing like what was on my son. Showed me pictures and everything. Then said he was going to put him on a "particular medicine" and wrote a prescription. Would not even explain what the medication was he was prescribing. Something in the back of my head wasn't buying it, and as soon as we left, I looked up another pediatrician to take my son to, who diagnosed him with measles. I also showed the doctor the prescription the previous doctor wrote and he was horrified. It was for steroids.
Long story short,neither this doctor (or his wife, who was practicing as a dermatologist) had the proper degrees and paperwork to show that they were licensed doctors. But did the authorities do anything about it? When we left the island five years later, they were both still practicing.
Research your doctors like you do anything else. Don't take their word for it, do some sleuthing and see if they are REAL doctors or some wannabes.
They took her to almost a dozen it looks like
ReplyDeletePersonally, with all the stuff that was happening to this poor girl, I seriously doubt it.
DeleteFather submits to authority. very submissive personality it would seem to bad for his daughter.
ReplyDeleteI would also point out Dr Sharad Shripadrao Pandit has an issue with women in general. Did anyone REALLY pay attention to his "diagnosis"? I really think he should be tried for murder and thrown in prison.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Had Alina been a boy, the diagnosis would have been something else. As I stated above, he should be tried for murder.
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