Widower sues hospital over wife’s death

(CNS): A 67-year-old man has filed a law suit against the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) after his wife died of cancer in 2009. Harold Paramlall claims that as a result of misdiagnosis by the hospital his 61-year-old wife died prematurely. Claiming negligence on the part of hospital staff, Paramlall is suing for medical expenses, loss of earnings and damages from the court. He claims that samples taken from his wife’s test that came back negative in 2004 were the same slides that showed up the cancer in 2006. In his statement of claim the plaintiff says the HSA failed to “provide suitably experienced staff” capable of diagnosing his wife’s cancer.

“The Defendant's staff were not suitably experienced in diagnostic techniques and should have referred the deceased overseas immediately carcinoma was discovered,” Paramlall states in his writ filed in the Grand Court earlier this month. He also claims the George Town hospital failed to provide adequate or proper post-operative treatment after his wife had a hysterectomy as it did not have “proper regard for the deceased's symptoms by taking note of the deceased complaints”.

Paramlall says that after her operation his wife complained of severe abdominal pains, which should have alerted the doctor in question to the probability that complications had developed.

The widower says because of the negligence he and his family have been occasioned pain and suffering. He also states that prior to her death his wife had been a strong hardworking woman engaged in community activities and looking forward to continuing to spend time with her husband, her children and grandchildren into her golden years.

The deceased was both a career person approaching retirement and an economical and efficient housewife, managing the home. As a result of the illness she was forced to give up the final 6 months of her working life resulting in a loss of salary of $113,033.44.