'Neglect' over TB death
Neglect contributed to the death of a 15-year-old girl who died of tuberculosis despite being seen by health professionals, a coroner ruled today. Alina Sarag died at Birmingham children's hospital after visits to her doctor and four hospitals.
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Coroner: neglect contributed to schoolgirl's TB death
Neglect contributed to the a schoolgirl's death from tuberculosis despite her making 9 GP visits in the preceding months, a coroner ruled.
Read the full storyCoroner: 'Gross failure' not to refer Alina for TB tests
by Rupert Evelyn: ITV News correspondentThe coroner said that it was an 'inescapable fact' that the GP knew of the tuberculosis that Alina had originally contracted in 2009 but he said that neither GP considered the possibility of 'latent TB' becoming active.
He said it was a 'gross failure' not to refer Alina for tests for TB.
As a result, he said, Alina died of natural causes of which neglect was a factor.
Prior to today's verdict, Alina's father spoke of what it was like to see his daughter in the final days and hours before her death:
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Coroner: 'Treatment should have been started'
Recording a verdict at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall that Alina Sarag died from natural causes and that neglect contributed to her death, coroner Aidan Cotter said:
A diagnosis should have been made and treatment should have been started.
I am satisfied that the failure to take action did have a direct causal connection to Alina's death.
Coroner: Neglect contributed to schoolgirl's tuberculosis death
Neglect contributed to the death of a teenage schoolgirl from tuberculosis despite her making nine visits to her GPs' surgery in the preceding months, a coroner has ruled.
Birmingham Coroner Aidan Cotter said 15-year-old Alina Sarag should have been sent for tests to diagnose active tuberculosis before her death at the city's Children's Hospital on January 6 last year.
'Missed opportunities over TB death'
The inquest heard how an NHS review into the care given to Alina Sarag identified several missed opportunities to diagnose her condition but the initial inquiry found that no indiviuals involved in her care had made major mistakes.
Dr Wayne Harrison told the inquest: "The panel didn't draw attention to a particular horrendous mistake.
"The implication was that TB wasn't always considered when it might have been, but it would have been down the list of potential diagnoses.
"There were missed opportunities at different points, any of which might have been an opportunity for diagnosis."
Verdict due at tuberculosis inquest
A verdict is due at an inquest into the death of a 15-year-old schoolgirl who died from tuberculosis.
Alina Sarag's, from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, died at the city's children's hospital on January 5 in 2011 after making a string of visits to her GP's surgery and four different hospitals.