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Family still seeking answers over journalist’s death

The family of former regional newspaper reporter say they are still no clearer as to how he died following a meeting with the hospital where he was put on a treatment plan before his death.

Musosa Kazembe, who worked for the Swindon Advertiser in the 1970s, died at Great Western Hospital in the town on 28 December.

He had been put on a scheme designed to comfort the dying in their final days called the Liverpool Care Pathway.

Earlier this week we reported that his family were due to meet with hospital bosses following a dispute in which they claimed he was left to starve.

His three sons allege he was administered powerful sedatives and denied food or water despite at one point being well enough to cry out for something to eat.

His family have now requested his medical notes and are waiting for the hospital to release the information.

A spokesman for Great Western Hospital told the newspaper this week that it had been looking into the complaint since it was first raised but the investigation was not yet complete as it takes time to review all of the information to prepare a full response.

In a statement they said: “We have kept the family fully informed of the investigation, sharing information with them in an open manner and have had almost daily contact with them keeping them up to date.”

Musosa’s son Chim told the Advertiser: “When my father was admitted they said he was suffering from a virus. It took three days to carry out tests but by then they had already switched everything off, and we were never told the results.”

The family are also contesting whether his cause of death was pneumonia as stated on his death certificate or whether he starved.

The family want a post-mortem to determine the factors in Musosa’s death, but may have to pay for it to be carried out because the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner said the death had not been referred by the hospital.

In his journalism days Musosa reported on the fight against racism in Africa and Europe and once interviewed Enoch Powell.

 

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  • January 13, 2012 at 9:41 am
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    In 2010, my husband was put on the LCP, unlike Mr. Kasembe, he was actually dying. He was not suffering but had a death rattle, which is not painful. for “palliative Care”, I was told that he would have to have various medications. My question is, if someone is not suffering, why not just let them die naturally?
    I urge the family of Mr. Kasembe to keep fighting.
    Also a hint, When I went through the notes, I realised that those about the LCP did not make sense without the reverse of the pages being copied. These explain the protocol. Routinely, only the fronts of the notes are copied.
    There may not be much money in the NHS, but there IS a lot of money being spent on rolling out the LCP, which is highly politicised.
    What I found out nearly broke my heart, I have done quite a lot of work on it but had to give it up to save my sanity.

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  • January 13, 2012 at 9:49 am
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    Re the autopsy, I suggest, one test is required, morphine poisoning. Also, perhaps medisolam piosoning and haloperidol poisoning, if these were given, and dehydration. (The levels of all these should be evident form the notes).The family is as well to pay to start with, otherwise the results may not be trustworthy as independence from the health authority is a suggested necessity.

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