Dying woman's care fell short say experts

By JAMES GARDINER

Health authorities' care of Lesley Martin's dying mother was confused and inadequate, defence witnesses said in the Wanganui euthanasia trial yesterday.

Two medical professors took the stand on the eighth day of the trial, in which Lesley Jane Martin, 40, has denied two counts of attempting to murder her mother, Joy Patricia Martin, in May 1999.

Professor Roderick Duncan MacLeod, of the University of Otago Medical School and a specialist in care of the terminally ill, was critical of both Joy Martin's GP and the surgeon who treated her bowel cancer.

Professor MacLeod said a conference of all health workers involved in Mrs Martin's care should have been held before she was discharged from Wanganui Hospital a month before her death.

The cause of her nausea should also have been identified and treated.

Mrs Martin, 69 at the time of her death, had been diagnosed with secondary cancer in her liver and had almost died of complications from earlier surgery.

She was discharged after declining further treatment.

Professor MacLeod was critical of the hospital's 18-day delay in notifying GP Bevan Chilcott that his patient had gone home, but Dr Chilcott was also criticised for not even phoning Mrs Martin to check on her condition when he did receive the notification.

Last week, Dr Chilcott told the court that he thought surgeon Roelof Van Dalen was still responsible for Mrs Martin's care. Dr Van Dalen said he thought Dr Chilcott was in charge.

Psychology professor Richard Owens, of Wales University, has said Lesley Martin - who published a book saying she tried to end her mother's life by administering morphine - may have suffered from memory distortion, so her book could be an unreliable account.

During cross-examination yesterday, Professor Owens told Justice John Wild that the confusion about who was in charge of Mrs Martin's care was illustrated by the accused ringing an anaesthetist friend at the hospital seeking morphine to relieve her mother's pain.