Two and half years after the major error, Waitematā District Health Board management has been forced to apologise - a courtesy the family say they weren't given. But the family told health watchdog officials they were extremely concerned about the avoidable delay the surgical error caused to their loved one's chemotherapy when he had aggressive liver tumours. She told HDC her husband was in severe pain and his mental health declined significantly after the surgical error. Imaging found that a surgical instrument had been left in his abdomen inadvertently following the surgery. The grieving widow told McDowell no one from Waitematā DHB apologised properly from the start.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 14, 2021 03:45 UTC