The mother of an eight-year-old boy who died of Strep A said her son had been sent back home from Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) twice in December before finally admitting on the third day.
Sajida Jabeen of Yorkshire said Mohammad Izaan Danish who had a cough and a temperature was given doses of ibuprofen and a nebulizer on the first visits to the hospital where they had to wait for hours to meet the medics.
She stated that on both occasions, the doctors at the hospital said the boy was fine but she learnt the extent of his illness only at a GP appointment. She then rushed her son back to BRI which admitted him on their third visit and later transferred him to Leeds General Infirmary.
Izaan eventually died of pneumonia Strep A.
While Bradford Teaching Hospitals launched an investigation into the “tragic” circumstances leading up to the boy’s death, Jabeen said the doctors should have cared for him sooner.
The chain of events which culminated in the tragedy began around December 9 when the boy complained of illness.
As his condition worsened, Jabeen took him to BRI’s A&E on the evening of December 10 but they waited for almost six hours at the hospital for assistance.
“There was a wait and they saw him and gave him ibuprofen. And then after another wait, they gave him a nebulizer. Then they said, ‘He’s ok, he can go home,’” she said.
According to her, it was “worse” when they returned to the hospital the following day on December 11.
“The second day was worse, and there was another wait, and he ended up on the floor. There were no chairs or anything to sit on,” the mother said.
“He couldn’t even lie down because his chest was hurting really badly. He just wanted to sit up. They gave him ibuprofen. He had a temperature. I was waiting for another four to six hours,” she said, adding that the doctors told her she could take her son back home.
On December 12, she took Izaan to a GP who was “shocked” to see the boy’s condition.
“The doctor was really, really shocked… He said: “Why didn’t you take him to the hospital?’ I said, ‘I have been taking him but they’re not really doing that much. I quickly took him to the hospital. He had given me a note, and I gave it to them. They started checking on him, and that was it,” she said.
Data showed 30 children have died from invasive strep A in the UK since September 19.
