SA Health chemotherapy bungle: Now victim Andrew Knox accuses Minister of covering up the death of a victim

CHEMOTHERAPY bungle victim Andrew Knox has accused authorities of covering up the death of a victim of the scandal.

Chemotherapy bungle patient Andrew Knox today claimed Health Minister Jack Snelling “must have known” he was misleading the public when he claimed last August no one had died from the cancer treatment error.

• Underdosed cancer patient then fell victim to second major treatment error
• Andrew Knox tells his story of blunders and cover-ups
• Five chemotherapy bungle victims accept $100,000 compensation offer
• How a ‘typo’ led to underdosing of chemo patients

CHEMOTHERAPY bungle victim Andrew Knox has accused authorities of covering up the death of a victim of the scandal.

A state coroner is to investigate the death of a woman who was treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for the same disease with the same drug at the same time as the 10 known victims of the chemotherapy underdosing scandal.

Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel this week announced an inquiry into the deaths of two people being treated at the RAH for acute myeloid leukaemia, Christopher McRae, 67, and Johanna Pinxteren, 76.

Both were being treated with chemotherapy drug Cytarabine at the time of the accidental underdosing.

Mrs Pinxteren died on June 23, 2015.

But on August 1, 2015, after The Advertiser exposed the chemotherapy bungle, Health Minister Jack Snelling and the then clinical director of cancer services, Professor Peter Bardy, went on ABC radio and both said no one had died from the mistake.

SA Health declined to confirm if either Mr McRae or Ms Pinxteren were among the 10 known victims of the bungle, citing privacy issues — a tactic Mr Knox said was “complete rubbish, it is their kneejerk reaction to deny, obfuscate and refuse to answer”.

Health Minister Jack Snelling rejected suggestions he had misled the public, saying: “Any comment I made at the time was based on the information that had been provided to me at that stage.”

Mr Knox said he was convinced Mrs Pinxteren was one of the 10 victims as she was treated at the same time he fell ill — and if she was not one of the 10, she may be a previously unidentified 11th victim.

“If this wasn’t so serious it would rival Monty Python’s dead parrot sketch,” he said.

“Almost a year on from the exposure of the chemotherapy error and my unnecessary underdosing, the department has again effectively denied our existence.

“I ask the Premier to consider how cruel and disrespectful and how ridiculous the denial or avoidance of confirmation is to the families of the deceased and to all we victims.

“I remind the Minister, on 1 August 2015 he stood beside Professor Bardy on camera, when the professor said on behalf of the department no one had yet died.

“We now find the truth was Ms Pinxteren had died some six weeks before the minister said no one had died.

“The Minister must have known that was false and he was misleading the public.

“I put this challenge to the Premier — when is enough is enough? You dismiss (former SA Pathology boss) Mr Barr’s evidence to the select committee but you do not have the courage to put it to a judicial test.

“At what point does the public interest outweigh your own?”

Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade called on Mr Snelling to resign and repeated calls for a judicial inquiry.

TIMELINE

January 19, 2015: A senior clinician realises the protocol for chemotherapy doses for leukaemia patients is incorrect due to a typographical error. Ten patients being treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre received only half doses of the drug Cytarabine between July 2014 and January 2015, including one given the wrong dose three days after the mistake was discovered.

June 23, 2015: Mrs Johanna Pinxteren dies.

August 1, 2015:The Advertiser breaks the story about the underdosing bungle

August 3, 2015: Health Minister Jack Snelling tells ABC radio “No one has died’ and director of cancer services Professor Peter Bardy says of the 10 people affected “They’re all still with us.”

June 30, 2016: Deputy Coroner Anthony Schapel announces a hearing into Mrs Pinxteren’s death, and also of Christopher McRea who died on November 22, 2015. Both had been treated with Cytarabine at the RAH prior to the discovery of the underdosing.