Family still grieving for a 25-year-old victim of medical oversight

By REBECCA WALSH

Nileema Sharan was in the prime of her life when she died from meningococcal disease.

Sent home by doctors who told her she had possibly sprained her neck, the 25-year-old Wellington woman died hours later in her sleep.

Just over a year later, her family are still coming to terms with her death.

"It's definitely very lonely," said Nileema's 22-year-old sister, Pritika.

"It's not easy losing someone and trying to get over it and get on with life.

"For me and my mum, it's on and off - some days we are fine, some days we are not really."

The family have seen the coroner's interim findings about the chain of events leading up to Nileema's death.

Pritika said that although "no one was blamed as such", the report made a number of recommendations about hospital systems, including the triage process.

Still, Pritika questions whether the coroner's recommendations will be implemented.

"It seems nothing has changed in hospitals. Waiting times are still there - people still hang around waiting for hours and hours.

"A bit more awareness has been raised about it but still not enough, I don't think."

The Health and Disability Commissioner will wait for the coroner's findings before deciding what action to take over the family's complaint.

Pritika urged anyone with a sick relative or friend to impress upon medical staff the need for urgent help.

"Sometimes nurses don't listen to support people.

"Make your voice heard. Don't just leave it and think it might be a cold or fever. There could be something seriously wrong."

Nileema thought she had strained her neck. She was working at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington and had turned to reach for something. But the pain was bad and her colleagues called an ambulance.

When she arrived at Wellington Hospital's emergency unit about 11.30am she was shaking. She was told she was third on the priority list to see a doctor.

Three hours later, Pritika arrived to find Nileema lying in a hospital bed. She had been seen by a nurse and given Panadol.

Soon after she started vomiting.

Pritika was then told her sister had been moved down the priority list and it could be a few hours before a doctor saw her.

"When I got there I saw she was quite bad," Pritika said.

"At that time it was a stiff neck. She was shaking a lot, vigorously, uncontrollably. She was also starting to get a bad fever."

Not prepared to wait any longer, Pritika took her sister to the nearby Accident and Urgent Medical Centre. Nileema was seen by a doctor just before 4pm.

By now she was vomiting every 10 minutes and had a slight rash on her neck. She found it hard to get up and was turning her head away from bright lights.

The doctor gave her injections, which Pritika thinks were anti-inflammatories and painkillers, and sent her home saying she had possibly strained her neck.

Pritika stayed with her sister until her flatmate arrived, asking him to keep an eye on her.

Nileema died during the night.

Pritika said a meningococcal vaccine was desperately needed and although most cases were in the under-19 age group, she questioned whether the vaccine should be available to people in their twenties.

The Ministry of Health says epidemics experts advise that young people should have priority as they are more likely to get the disease.