TB girl dies because GP told her 'she was probably pining for a boy'
By Eucalyptus
@Eucalyptus (151)
May 17, 2012 5:05pm CST
A young girl of 15 years old died here in the UK (Birmingham) of tuberculosis, and her doctor failed to recognise the signs despite her history of TB. When she visited him looking frail, thin, lifeless and exhausted, he asked her if she had met a boy on her recent holiday to Pakistan and if so, then she was probably pining for him. He also advised her family that she may have anorexia. The vital signs were missed and it was dubbed one of the most severe cases seen at the hospital where she was eventually treated. GP's shouldn't be allowed to make these mistakes. How could anyone get away with this? GP's get paid hundreds of thousands of pounds in this country, yet some manage to do such a poor job. The worst that will happen is that he will be struck off and stripped of his licence to practice, if he's found to be liable. I personally think that he should face criminal charges, if anything just to set an example to all the other doctors out there not doing enough to educate themselves about recognising TB and the damage that it causes.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@rewardsinlife (1132)
• United States
18 May 12
This happens quite a bit...doctors go for the general and obvious instead of thinking outside the box once in a while. They are told to 'look for horses, not zebras' and because of this, many suffer years of misdiagnosis and are told that it is all in their head because the dr. refuses to take more than 10 min. of their time to sort out a problem. I was told once by a gp that I was just a girl wanting attention and should go find a boy and get pregnant...that would fix all the problems...yeah...right. Long story short, he is no longer my gp.
1 person likes this
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
20 May 12
All these happen due to on one hand lust for money without giving the required service against that money and on the other hand the sound knowledge required to render the professional skill for which the patient is paying him. In this context, I would like to mention that you have done the right job by leaving that doctor for ever.
@marguicha (223001)
• Chile
18 May 12
It´s a pity, but many doctors act according to their prejudices and not to what they should know or check. I have seen that happen many times everywhere in the world. Unfortunatly, for most people it is impossible to pay for a very good doctor. My niece lives in Londen and she had to pay a special person to train her second son to talk (he has problems there). The person that the systems offers is someone who treats many children at the same time and the appointment is only obce in a while. Since she is paying (with great effort) he child is getting better.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
20 May 12
A doctor has no right to act according to his or her prejudices. Rather he should apply his clinical acumen to diagnose a disease and prescribe accordingly. If he cannot come to any definite conclusion about diagnose of the disease, he should inform it clearly to the guardian of the patient and should refer the patient immediately to a higher medical centre.
@marguicha (223001)
• Chile
21 May 12
I totally agree with you, my friend. But unfortunatly that´s not how it happens many times. And money (or race or culture) have an influence in how people are treated, even when they have a medical appointment
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
22 May 12
Yes, this now happens. But it definitely goes against the ethics of medical profession which is still now regarded as a noble profession.
@GardenGerty (160663)
• United States
18 May 12
He just did not care. Here I think the doctors would have run a bunch of tests, because they are afraid of malpractice suits. My personal doctor, I know would look at the history. I do not guarantee they would have caught it, but they would have looked into the anorexia theory, and looked at the history and treated her somehow and not just dismissed her as being lovelorn. That is demeaning and ridiculous.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
20 May 12
As the girl gave the history of TB, the GP ought to advise at least a straight X- ray of the chest to rule out another fresh attack of TB. As she was looking frail, thin, lifeless and exhausted,he could have advised an ELISA to rule out HIV. However, I think the diagnosis being now confirmed, the girl would soon get recovery. Last but not the least, if such a miserable picture is seen in UK, what's the picture in the vast third world?
@Eucalyptus (151)
•
27 May 12
I don't know if this was pulmonary TB or at what stage her infection turned into disease but you're a million percent right in that he should have checked her history, especially as she would have been considered part of a higher risk demographic group who had recently visited a TB hotspot. He didn't even need to test her for AIDS - a simple history check, X-Ray and referral to the relevant chest clinic would have been more than sufficient to help save the poor girl's life. It's quite sickening really...
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
27 May 12
As pulmonary tuberculosis is most common among different types of TB, a straight X- ray of the chest is always necessary in such cases where the patient is frail, thin, lifeless and exhausted, and above all, has a history of TB. I think this type of half-educated as well as negligent doctors should be pin pointed for isolation from the medical community.
@xiaohongxiaohong (340)
•
18 May 12
In china, the relationship between doctors and patients is very nervous. The hospitals earn lots money from patients so that people always say we can not afford to illness. Besides, some doctors are irresponsible so that cause poor patients die.I really hope these kind of tragedies won't happen again.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
20 May 12
Even in a communist country like China where everything is still now mostly under the strict control of the government, such nasty things happen. This means that medical profession no longer remains noble through out the world.
