A man has claimed before the High Court that an alleged eight-month delay in diagnosing that he suffers from prostate cancer means his life expectancy may have been reduced by several years.
Mr David Philip says he was now looking at a possible one or two years of life whereas, he claims, it could have been several years if he had been diagnosed earlier and received appropriate treatment.
Mr Philip (55), an accountant and financial adviser who had lived in Saudi Arabia, said he was admitted to the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork in June 2001 and was under the care of Mr Peter Ryan, a consultant urologist attached to the hospital.
At the time of his admission, Mr Philip, who now lives in Cleveland, England, was visiting his wife's home in Midleton, Co Cork.
He claims that when admitted to the Bon Secours, he was suffering from prostate cancer but this was not diagnosed at the time. He claims he was assured in July 2001 that his condition was prostatitis, which would be cured in 90 days by medication prescribed, with only a routine follow- up required in December 2001.
He claims the defendants, Mr Ryan and the hospital, were negligent in failing to advise him of the importance of a repeat test on December 13th, 2001, and the importance of prompt action in the event of that test evidencing cancer. He claims they failed to make prompt contact with him on receipt of the results of that test.
He claims that his condition was not communicated to him until March 10th, 2002, when he received a letter from Mr Ryan at his home in Saudi Arabia outlining Mr Ryan's concern about the result of the test performed in December 2001.
Mr Philip claims he was astonished by the letter's sense of urgency which, he claims, had never previously been conveyed to him by Mr Ryan and he immediately went to his GP in Saudi Arabia. As a result of further medical investigation, a diagnosis of prostate cancer was made by his doctors in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Philip says he was very angry about the alleged delay in procuring that diagnosis.
He claims that, if a diagnosis of prostate cancer had been made in June 2001, the appropriate treatment could have started then and the circumstances he was facing now could be vastly different. He said he could have looked forward to several more years of life, whereas the prognosis now was possibly a year or two maximum.
Both defendants deny there was any negligence or breach of duty. If, which is denied, they failed to diagnose that Mr Philip was suffering from prostate cancer, they plead that the failure to make such a diagnosis does not constitute negligence and/or breach of duty.
The defendants plead contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff in that he allegedly failed to have a serum PSA measurement carried out in the Middle East in August 2001 when directed by the Mr Ryan to do so and failed to make any contact with Mr Ryan between July 12th, 2001, and December 12th, 2001.
The hearing before Mr Justice Peart continues today.