Family of meningitis death teenager sue NHS 24 for £200,000

Published on Friday 13 July 2007 01:11

A £200,000 legal action was lodged against NHS 24 yesterday by the family of a meningitis victim who say the out-of-hours service failed in its care of the teenager.

Shomi Miah, 17, from Aberdeen died in 2004 after being told over the phone by a nurse she probably had flu.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry ruled last year that it was "tragically clear" the NHS 24 system failed the Harlaw Academy student.

The family has launched a legal action against the service, which is expected to go before the courts in around 18 months.

If they are successful, they say the 200,000 will go into a memorial fund for Shomi.

Relatives said they want to fulfil her dream of opening a doctor's surgery for deprived communities in Bangladesh, where the family is originally from.

Family lawyer Sandy Kemp confirmed that the court papers were being lodged yesterday.

The action is based on NHS 24's "failure to take appropriate steps when Shomi gave her symptoms," Mr Kemp said.

Shomi told her family she felt unwell after returning home from school on 25 October, 2004.

They said they were advised by NHS 24 to give her paracetamol and put a towel over her head, despite informing them that she had suffered from meningitis before.

A doctor eventually came to the house in the early hours of the morning and she was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she died later that day.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry later ruled that the NHS 24 system had failed in the case of Shomi and that of 30-year-old Steven Wiseman from Aberdeenshire. The father-of-two died of toxic shock in December 2004 after contacting the helpline.

His partner is suing NHS 24 for 700,000.

Shomi's brother Anis said earlier this year: "We are not doing it for the money, we are doing it for Shomi. We also don't want to see this happen to anyone else."