Three-year-old dies after 'GP failed to give him life-saving vaccine'

A toddler died from pneumococcal septicaemia after a “gross failure” from his GP to vaccinate him against a rare blood disease, an inquest heard.

Raul Pambou says his three-year-old Johan would still be alive if he had received the jab to combat the genetic condition.

He spoke out after an inquest heard the toddler’s GP received four letters from Birmingham Children’s Hospital consultants requesting he receive the 23-Valent pneumococcal vaccine.

But he never received the jab and died in December from pneumoccocal septicaemia after being admitted to the hospital with sickle cell crisis.

Mr Pambou, aged 37, from Shard End Crescent, Shard End, said:

The inquest revealed Johan was seeing consultant paediatric haemotologist Dr Mark Velangi at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

He wrote a letter to Johan’s doctor Satish Kumar Dhamija, who runs Lea Village Medical Centre, on February 4 last year asking for the youngster to be given the vaccine – but no action was taken.

There were further letters dated March 14, August 11 and November 24 from the Children’s Hospital asking for Johan to receive the vaccination but the letters were not followed up.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Dr Dhamija claimed the practice had tried to get Johan a vaccine on June 26 last year but it wasn’t available in stock, despite ringing three different pharmaceutical companies.

He said:

Johan started feeling unwell on December 6 last year complaining of stomach pain and was admitted to Heartlands Hospital where he was treated for abdominal sickle cell crisis.

His condition deteriorated and he was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital on the same day and died on December 11 after going into intensive care.

Giving evidence at the inquest Dr Heather Duncan, a paediatric consultant in intensive care at the Children’s Hospital, said she believed the lack of vaccine was likely to have been a key factor in Johan’s death.

Louise Hunt, Birmingham Coroner, recorded a narrative verdict saying Johan died from pneumoccocal septicaemia with a lack of the 23-Valent pneumoccocal vaccine being administered to him contributing to his death.

She said:

Dad-of-five Mr Pambou, married to Natasha, aged 31, added: