Unbelievable is the only word that comes to mind. We are in the 21st century, and a child died because she was five minutes late to her GP surgery.
The media reported that a 5-year old with severe asthma died at home when her Doctor refused to see her because she was late for her appointment, even though the mother had informed the surgery that she might be, delayed.
According to the Doctor’s Hippocratic oath, First, do no, harm. I would be outraged if this idiotic Doctor was allowed to continue practising medicine and attending to patients.
The article as outlined in the media demonstrates that the entire surgery staff failed this child. First, the receptionist, then the Doctor, all, in my opinion, contribute to the death of this five-year-old.
Apparently, the doctor was sent a letter from a consultant informing her that the child was at risk of life-threatening asthma and, did not write the information on the child’s medical file. In my opinion, this is negligence at best; no Doctor should refuse to see a patient, even if they are late for their appointment.
Children and the elderly should always be, treated as a priority case, therefore, turning a child away is terrible practice and a disgrace to the medical profession.