Gareth Lowndes calls for HDC overhaul after delayed report into mother’s death at Middlemore Hospital
Gareth Lowndes is calling for a reform of New Zealand's Health & Disability Commissioner after a delayed report into his mother's death at Middlemore Hospital. Lowndes expressed frustration that the investigation took four years and failed to hold the involved medical professionals accountable.
Why it matters
This case highlights systemic concerns regarding the efficacy and transparency of medical oversight bodies in handling patient complaints.
A report on the death of a woman at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital has prompted her son's call for an overhaul of the health watchdog which investigated. Gareth Lowndes believed the office of the Health & Disability Commissioner was no longer fit for purpose. Photo / NZME composite
A woman who arrived at hospital for a routine outpatient procedure became ill soon after and died. Her son, Gareth Lowndes, who waited four-and-a-half years for a report on what happened said it resolved little. Lowndes is calling for an overhaul of the health watchdog that investigated, believing the office of the Health & Disability Commissioner was no longer fit for purpose. Tracy Neal reports
Gareth Lowndes still grieves his mother, who died at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital following complications after the routine procedure in December 2021.
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