Originally published October 3 2005
British hospital sued for performing mastectomy based on faulty diagnosis
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In Inverness, Raigmore Hospital is being sued by Marjory Paterson, whose breast was removed after a tissue sample mixup that led doctors to diagnose her with breast cancer.
A woman whose breast was removed after she was wrongly diagnosed with cancer has branded a £44,000 compensation offer 'an insult' and is to sue the health authority responsible.
Marjory Patterson, 52, had a healthy breast removed by surgeons after being told she needed a mastectomy.
But doctors at NHS Highland's Raigmore Hospital in Inverness later admitted that they had been looking at another patient's tissue sample and had made a mistake.
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Mrs Patterson, of Alness in Ross-shire, was offered £44,000 compensation by the hospital, but said the amount was an "insult" and now plans to take her case to the Court of Session.
In a statement today, Dr Roger Gibbins, chief executive of NHS Highland, said: "This was a tragic case where a mistake was made.
"We apologised to Mrs Patterson as soon as the mistake came to light and have been trying to negotiate a settlement.
"We would like to negotiate a reasonable settlement figure with Mrs Patterson to avoid unnecessary court action.
He added that changes had been put in place at Raigmore Hospital to reduce the risk of such a mistake happening again, including a review of the circumstances surrounding the case.
Reacting to NHS Highland's statement this afternoon, Mrs Patterson's husband, David, said: "I don't think they will come up with what we are looking for - they are very, very biased and very cheeky and don't seem to understand what we have been through.
"My wife is a nice person who didn't deserve this.
We are not talking about £44,000, we are talking £200,000 or £300,000, and I don't think they will come up with that kind of money.
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