5-Year-Old Girl Dies After Doctor Refuses Treatment For Being Late

A 5-year-old British girl died after a doctor refused to treat her because of a lateness rule, according to an inquest into her death.

Ellie-May Clark in January 2015 suffered from life-threatening asthma and had an emergency doctor’s appointment at a hospital in Newport, a city in Wales. Her condition left her wheezing and unable to walk home from school.

The girl’s mother, Shanice Clark, took her ailing daughter to Grange Clinic for her 5 p.m. appointment with Dr. Joanne Rowe, who reportedly refused to treat her after they arrived just minutes late, Wales Online reported Monday.

Clark, who had an 8-month-baby at the time, said the two showed up late for the appointment and had been waiting in line to talk to the receptionist around 5:10 p.m.

However, former receptionist Anne Jones told the inquest that it was just 18 minutes past 5 p.m. when she informed the doctor of their arrival, BBC News reported.

Rowe, who maintained a rule of not seeing patients more than 10 minutes past their scheduled time, reportedly told the receptionist that she wouldn’t examine the girl. Rowe did not ask the reason for the girl’s visit nor did she review her medical records, according to the inquest.

The mother took her daughter home after the receptionist rescheduled her appointment for the following morning. But the girl’s condition worsened that night as she turned blue and fell off her bed.

The girl was rushed to Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport where she died shortly after, according to Wales Online.

Attorney Rob Sowersby on behalf of the Clark family told the inquest that "Dr. Rowe made a clinical decision without any clinical information whatsoever. She sent away a five-year-old patient from an emergency appointment without even opening her records."

Bronchial asthma was determined as the cause of death. The girl may have also suffered a seizure before she died due to lack of oxygen.