A prominent health authority acknowledged that problems with its water system likely resulted in a fatal infection in a young cancer patient at a major hospital. Milly Main, a 10-year-old being treated for leukemia at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, succumbed to a rare bacterial infection – Stenotrophomonas maltophilia – on August 31, 2017.
Her family suspects that the contamination originated from the hospital’s water supply, leading to an infection in the line delivering medication into her body. The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) had previously refuted claims linking water-borne bacteria to infections resulting in multiple fatalities.
In its final statements to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, the NHSGGC acknowledged that a significant portion of additional bloodstream infections in patients from 2016 to 2018 were likely linked to the condition of the hospital water system. The health authority admitted that some patient infections were probably caused by the hospital environment, specifically the water system, departing from its earlier denials after reviewing expert testimony.
According to reports from the BBC, an NHSGGC spokesperson confirmed their support for the inquiry, while the Scottish Government declined to comment, deeming it inappropriate at that stage. Following concerns over unexpected patient deaths, an investigation was initiated to examine potential errors during the hospital campus’s design and construction.
This significant reversal was praised as a pivotal moment by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who advocated for expanding a corporate homicide investigation to encompass politicians accused of concealing facts. Sarwar proposed establishing Milly’s Law in memory of the deceased young patient to empower an independent public advocate to probe incidents and ascertain the truth.
Highlighting the hospital’s series of issues since its inception, Sarwar criticized the failures at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, citing concerns about water safety, environmental hazards, governance lapses, and devastating infections affecting families. Scottish Conservative health secretary Dr. Sandesh Gulhane MSP echoed these sentiments, pointing to a pattern of infection-related scandals and alleged cover-ups at the hospital.
NHSGGC reiterated its commitment to supporting the inquiry, while the Scottish government emphasized its dedication to assisting the investigation and refrained from further comments.