Senior's long wait to bury wife following medical mishap
As most of us know, the wheels of bureaucracy move very slowly.
But they were moving far too slow for 83-year-old Eric Fisher who was running out of time.
Until he contacted A Current Affair.
Eric Fisher, 83, with his wife Loraine's ashes. A Current Affair
READ MORE: Elderly man sues for alleged medical negligence
"They're waiting for me to die," is what Mr Fisher believed.
You see through his lawyer the pensioner won a settlement after his wife Loraine died following a medical mishap due to negligence at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.
Mrs Fisher went in for a hip operation but never came out as clinicians failed to check her medical records.
Eric and Loraine Fisher. A Current Affair
READ MORE: Elderly man forced to crawl in pain after medical centre fails to help him
And she bled to death after she was given medication she was allergic to.
The hospital was ordered to pay a settlement to Mr Fisher but two and a half years on they still hadn't paid.
It was stuck with government lawyers.
Loraine Fisher died following a medical mishap. A Current Affair
Eric Fisher survives on the old age pension. A Current Affair
As Mr Fisher's solicitor Damien Brown told us, "once Eric dies the compensation ends and it doesn't go to any other family members".
Mr Fisher survives on the old age pension and he didn't even have enough money to bury Mrs Fisher - whose ashes have sat on a bedside table in his home for the past few years.
"I love you so much darling I miss you so much," he tells her every day.
Eric Fisher's solicitor Damien Brown. A Current Affair
READ MORE: Woman comes 'back to life' in funeral home after being pronounced dead by paramedic
Well, not long after our story the New South Wales Health Minister got in touch with his department and ordered them to settle immediately.
And so it was.
"We've had a settlement a very pleasing settlement for me that I can live my time out in a better state," Mr Fisher said.
Loraine Fisher will finally be laid to rest next week after Eric Fisher bought a plot at a cemetery nearby. A Current Affair
READ MORE: Girl's medical negligence finding upheld
"All the people who watched and cared about me … it's just unbelievable, thank you."
Mrs Fisher will finally be laid to rest next week after Mr Fisher went out and bought a plot at a lovely cemetery nearby.
A wrong had been righted.
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