Andrew Knox tells his story of the RAH’s chemo blunder and cover-up

ANDREW Knox was one of ten people denied their proper cancer treatment at two Adelaide hopsitals because of a typo. His case was then covered up, more than once. Here is the incredible story of the blunders that may kill him.

Cancer bungle victim Andrew Knox. Picture: Roger Wyman

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LEAVE aside the fact that I find it hard to fathom how anyone could transcribe “Cytarabine 1 g/m2 bd” (‘bd’ meaning twice daily) into “Cytarabine IV 1 g/m2 ONCE daily”, then not proof read it or check when a pharmacist queried the now 25 per cent dose.

It was January 19 last year when a very senior RAH clinician directed a pharmacist not to enter the “incident” into their Safety Learning System, resulting in compromising my survival a second time.

At Flinders Medical Centre, with another victim Bronte Higham, prescriptions had been written for our catch-up rounds before we were told of the error. Still, no entry was made into the Safety Learning System.

Weeks later it was downplayed as a moderate risk and the entry closed without investigation. In contradiction, a risk manager was present when my wife Jayne and I were told of the error. Already written off and risk managed, they said.

A month later, still wracked with pain from pneumonia, “hoovered up” when I was left waiting, unprotected, in the Emergency Department, I was discharged and told I was now just an “ordinary patient”.

Advance to March last year. I was denied rehab and even a temporary disabled parking permit.

The only support my family and I received for the next 11 months was blood test forms. Even ward staff received counselling.

Imagine waking to the shock of the front page of the Advertiser on Saturday, August 1, when the story of the cover up broke.

The FMC’s public relations people had warned the clinicians. No one warned the victims.

Health Minister Jack Snelling, with clinical director of cancer services Professor Peter Bardy by his side, praised his hospitals for only making 10 errors when they treat 8000 a day.

Premier Jay Weatherill glibly said: “The families have all the support they need.”

We had not had a scintilla of support.

Confronted by The Advertiser journalist Penny Debelle that I was unnecessarily under dosed, Mr Snelling became “extraordinarily angry that he was not given the full story”.

FMC hadn’t investigated. Mr Snelling had been caught out. The inquiry he was then forced to call resulted in scathing findings.

On December 1 last year, Mr Snelling said on FIVEaa: “I’ve made very clear to my department that any expenses he’s had as a result of this error we’d reimburse.”

Then in February this year, he told Parliament: “Mr Speaker, last week I met with Mr Andrew Knox, one of the affected patients, who expressed justifiable concern about a lack of support from our health services following the dosage error. I share Mr Knox’s anger.”

Still I had no support. Mr Snelling had been defied and one month later was still being defied. David Swan intervened to keep my rehab going.

In the meantime, SA Pathology covered up their prostate cancer test errors.

On June 8, Mr Weatherill said: “The government, it doesn’t play hardball. It behaves generously, it doesn’t take sharp legal points, it gets on and supports people. We learnt little over a week ago to our horror that that wasn’t what was happening.”

A pity he hadn’t spoken with us. Rather, in Parliament, he criticised me for allegedly providing “erroneous information” about being told to “lawyer up”.

And while he was saying the government’s self-insurer, SAICORP, would “properly and respectfully negotiate” with us, they were refusing to negotiate.

“Take it or litigate”. We had no choice.

It’s not about compo. It’s about conduct: cover up, deception and disobedience.

It’s about clinicians, hospital administrators, risk managers, PR and public servants who do not give a fig about the Premier, the Minister, the CEO, common sense or decency.

I sympathise with David Swan. This disobedience made his position untenable.

Mr Weatherill is not concerned. No more inquiries he says.

I agree with Mr Snelling when he says “patients need to feel safe when they are being treated in our health system”.

It’s just we can’t be safe until that disobedience and disdain for our safety is rooted out.

Any reasonable person, even a politician, can see only a Royal Commission can make us safe.

More errors, bungles and cover-ups: Read other SA people’s stories of how the system let them down

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