PCT defends care for migrants

10:53am Wednesday 8th October 2008

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A HEALTH boss has defended the care offered to legal migrants after it emerged there were problems with an Afghan woman's health care.

Zahra Ghaznavi, of Central Road, Wembley, died of a flesh-eating bacteria following a traumatic delivery on the maternity ward at Northwick Park Hospital.

An inquest into the cause of her death has been adjourned but a report released by the hospital suggests the care she received before arriving there was “very concerning”.

The report stated: “There seems to have been a lack of understanding of, or response to, the needs of asylum seekers who are known to be a high-risk group.”

Dr Martin Rhodes, medical director at Harrow PCT, said he could not comment on the specifics of the case but said any immigrant admitted to Britain legally should be entitled to healthcare under the current system.

He said: “I don't know anywhere else in the world where you can come to the country as a new immigrant and get free healthcare.”

He stressed the need for patients who do not speak English to have interpreters who can explain to them what is going on but said the PCT is employing a growing number of people recruited to deal with women in situations like Zahra's.

Zahra's husband, Nasim, described frantically trying to find a clinic that would give his wife a GP referral after she had problems during pregnancy.

He said he was told she had not been in the country long enough.

While it is not believed the pre-natal problems led to the 28-year-old teacher's death, they paint a picture of a couple left vulnerable because they did not speak English and did not know how the system worked.

Zahra checked in at the Royal Free, in Belsize Park, in July 2007, with bleeding, abdominal pain and vomiting and was treated by doctors there.

She returned to the hospital again in October that year, complaining of pain.

But when staff asked her to get a GP referral she was unable to find someone who would see her.

Nasim said: “It's a problem for this country because, after my wife came here, she didn't see a GP for six months. Every GP said 'I don't care'.”

In the end the Royal Free advised the couple to contact social workers and the Citizens' Advice Bureau and Zahra was referred to the community midwife, a nurse who makes house calls to patients.

Living in Wembley, Zahra was covered by Brent PCT. The Harrow Times requested a response from the body but had not received one at the time of going to press.