Doctors miss broken back

Territorial soldier Shiva Nair wants to know why Dunedin Hospital doctors did not order an x-ray to identify he had a broken back.

He injured his back in a 10m dive at a Dunedin pool during an Army training exercise on May 9, but left hospital with just anti-inflammatory tablets.

Two weeks later, after a trip to a GP and an orthopaedic specialist, a CT scan revealed the fracture.

The third-year medical student flew to the United States at the weekend to consult neurosurgeons about a procedure for his injury that cannot be performed in New Zealand.

His mother, Gaytri Nair, a medical science lecturer in California, said she used her own medical contacts to get the full diagnostic tests done.

The Army would not contribute to his $8000 travel costs, she said.

The Otago District Health Board and the Army are investigating the incident.

- NZPA