Sonya Watson said the primary cause of death of her father, Brent Buchan, was aspirated pneumonia, complicated by previous illness, diagnosed at Dunedin Hospital after she had insisted Oamaru Hospital transfer him there for a second opinion.
Oamaru Hospital manager Robert Gonzales, when asked to comment, said he could not comment on individual cases or people making allegations because of the laws on privacy of patient information. Patients and family should raise any concerns over care and treatment directly with the management, he said.
Mrs Watson was encouraged to talk to the Otago Daily Times when it reported criticism by Richmond man Andy Earl (40) of his treatment at Oamaru Hospital after he was injured in a crash on State Highway 1 at Hilderthorpe on September 2.
Mr Earl and Mrs Watson have spoken together by phone about their experiences.
Mrs Watson officially complained to Oamaru Hospital about the treatment her father received after he was admitted from Iona Home in Oamaru in May. That prompted an internal investigation, during which the treatment was defended.
She intends to lodge a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner, something Mr Earl also plans to do.
"We both understood how I felt, because a similar thing happened with my father," she said about the failure to diagnose the pneumonia, despite his previous medical conditions, when he was admitted to Oamaru Hospital.
That was why she wanted people with similar experiences to speak out, so procedures were improved and other people did not have the same experience.
"For this hospital to improve, we need people to come forward... As a community, we need to have confidence in our hospital care," she said.
People also needed to stand up for their rights to treatment, demand the best care and, if not satisfied, make a formal complaint.
That experience was "very traumatic", not just for herself but her family, who had to be away from home once her father was admitted to Dunedin Hospital.
Mr Buchan was taken to Oamaru Hospital on May 27 about 9.50pm, Mrs Watson said, and spent three hours in the accident and emergency department, before being admitted.
About 8am on May 28 he was still in a bad condition with spasms and pain in his leg and difficulty breathing, she said. His lungs were not listened to, and he was diagnosed with pain from arthritis.
Mrs Watson demanded he be taken to Dunedin for a second opinion. He was transferred by ambulance to Dunedin about 4pm on May 28 and, after spending about 17 hours in accident emergency, was examined with a stethoscope. Pneumonia was diagnosed.
This was not done in the 19 hours he was at Oamaru Hospital, she said.
Mr Buchan died on June 4 in Dunedin.
Mr Gonzales said people's concerns were investigated objectively and corrective actions implemented, if required, to further improve services.
Health and Disability Advocacy Services as well as the commissioner were available to assist patients with the investigation process and to ensure fairness to both patients and hospital staff in determining whether a complaint was justified.
