A family is campaigning against telephone diagnoses of swine flu after the death of their 16-year-old daughter.
Charlotte Hartey died on 31 July from complications arising from tonsilitis. However, prior to this she was misdiagnosed with swine flu in a telephone consultation and prescribed Tamiflu.
Charlotte, from Oswestry, Shropshire, was taken to hospital after her condition deteriorated and she later developed blood poisoning.
A postmortem examination found Charlotte died of natural causes, and was not suffering from swine flu.
Her family is now calling on the government to stop the use of “call centre healthcare” and is hoping to get 10,000 people to sign the “Charlotte’s petition against call centre heath care” page, which will then be sent to Downing Street.
Charlotte’s 19-year-old brother Tristan said: “Our aim is that every person has the right to be personally seen by a doctor.
“Medical diagnosis over the telephone has to be banned as it is not allowing this right to be fulfilled and causing people to die.”
Copyright © Press Association 2009
