A young boy would “100 per cent still be here” if he had not been denied a hospital bed when he was unwell, his uncle has claimed.
Five-year-old Yusuf Nazir died from pneumonia on Monday. It is reported an infection had spread to his lungs and caused multiple organ failure, resulting in several cardiac arrests.
His family said they struggled to get the poorly child admitted to hospital in the run-up to his death, as they were told there were not enough beds or doctors available.
His uncle, Zaheer Ahmed, said he had “begged” Rotherham General Hospital to take his nephew in.
Have you been affected by this story? Contact zoe.tidman@independent.co.uk
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain a GP said Yusuf had “severe tonsilitis” and needed intravenous antibiotics - but the doctor had been told not to refer anyone to the ward and they needed to go to A&E instead.
Mr Ahmed said he rang the hospital himself. “I begged them. I begged them. I’ve never begged for anything in my life and I begged them to help him,” the tearful uncle said.
He said he told them Yusuf needed treatment but was told there were no beds. He claimed he was told: “What do you want me to do? Just get a bed out of the air? We’ve got kids waiting.”
The family were once again told to go to A&E, Mr Ahmed said. He said he replied: “I’ve been to the A&E. They checked him. They said he needs IV antibiotics. Can you please just help him? He’s struggling breathing.”
Yusuf complained of a sore throat on 13 November and his parents took him to their GP, who prescribed antibiotics.
They say they drove him to the emergency department of Rotherham General Hospital the next day when his condition did not improve.
The family waited for hours before Yusuf was seen but he was sent home even though the doctor treating him had said “it was the worst case of tonsillitis he had ever seen”, according to Mr Ahmed.
The boy was distressed, struggling to breathe and could not swallow, according to his family.
Yusuf’s condition worsened while he was at home and his parents called an ambulance and insisted he was taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where he later died.
The boy was given IV antibiotics there but it was “too late”, according to his uncle.
He told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday he thought Yusuf would still be alive if he had been treated promptly instead of being denied a space in hospital.
”I 100 per cent believe if Yusuf was given that IV antibiotic at the time when he needed it, I wouldn’t be here. And he would have been with us,” Mr Ahmed said.
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has launched an investigation into Yusuf’s care.
Dr Richard Jenkins, its chief executive, said: “On behalf of everyone at the Trust, I offer our sincere heartfelt condolences to Yusuf’s family at this devastating time.
“We know that this will not relieve the family’s loss and pain however we are commissioning a thorough and independently-led investigation into the whole pathway of Yusuf’s care.”
He added: “I have spoken to Mr Ahmed, Yusuf’s Uncle, to express my personal condolences and will be meeting in the next few days so the family’s concerns can be fully investigated.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said it was taking “urgent action to ensure no families have to experience these kinds of tragedies”.
They said it was giving an extra £500m to “speed up hospital discharge and free up beds” and the NHS was creating “the equivalent of 7,000 more beds this winter”.
Additional reporting by Press Association
