Missed cancer diagnosis patient Claus Burg sues for medical negligence
Claus Burg wants compensation after he was wrongly cleared of cancer – calling the government reply he got months later “insulting”.
A cancer patient whose diagnosis was missed by medical experts says the State Government response to the mistake that will claim his life is “insulting” and “disgusting”.
Claus Burg, 70, has launched legal action seeking compensation for medical negligence after he was wrongly cleared of cancer last July.
Mr Burg says a thickening of the stomach wall – a cancer red flag – was noted by a radiologist and included in a report at the time, but not in its conclusion.
He says an oncologist then skimmed over the report and only read its conclusion, missing the critical diagnosis.
“(I feel) pretty cheesed off actually,” Mr Burg told The Advertiser.
“Obviously the technician didn’t do (their) job 100 per cent and certainly the oncologist didn’t read the report right.
“This shouldn’t happen to anyone else in the future. This disposition has been put in to put the fire up the State Government and to fix the system up.”
On Monday, Mr Burg received a reply from Health Minister Stephen Wade – more than three months after writing to the State Government – wishing him the best.
“It’s disgusting … That is insulting to me as far as I’m concerned, especially after what’s happened to me,” he said.
“The last line (of the letter) says: ‘I wish you all the best for your future care and thank you for taking your time to write about your experience’.
“(I’d say to him) treat people better, don’t treat them morons, kept in the dark like mushrooms.”
In the months after being cleared, Mr Burg started losing weight and suffered a stabbing pain in his side. A camera uncovered a cancer at the top of his stomach and a subsequent CAT scan showed the disease had spread to his liver and was inoperable.
“I’m marking time basically,” Mr Burg said. He said scans missed the cancer as early as 2017.
In his response, Mr Wade acknowledged a “mistake has happened” and apologised for the failure.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Lesley Dwyer said: “I continue to express my most sincere apologies to Mr Burg and his family for his experience.”
Opposition MP Blair Boyer, who is Mr Burg’s local member, said: “It’s time that Stephen Wade did the right thing and made sure that the compensation to which the Burgs are rightfully entitled is awarded sooner rather than later, to make Claus and Lynda sure have some enjoyment of that compensation in the time Claus has left.”