Open finding in WA organ failure death

Indonesian national Daniel Lahengking came to Western Australia to meet his newborn grandchild, but his holiday turned tragic when he was prescribed a high dosage of medicine and later died in hospital.

Mr Lahengking was visiting Esperance in 2009 when he saw Dr Dian Harun for what he believed was rheumatoid arthritis.

He was prescribed methotrexate at an incorrectly high dosage and while the pharmacist noted the dosage was incorrect, she still dispensed the medicine, coroner Barry King said in his findings.

Mr Lahengking suffered further illnesses and was admitted to Esperance Hospital where he was treated for methotrexate poisoning and septicaemia, before being transferred to Royal Perth Hospital.

There, he developed other ongoing conditions including tuberculosis, gastrointestinal bleeding and sepsis before dying on August 15, 2009 aged 66.

Mr King concluded that the cause of death was multiple organ failure and gave an open finding on how the death happened.

The coroner noted Dr Harun was very upset, had admitted her error and had apologised to the deceased's family.

"She said that when she looks at her note now it fills her with horror," Mr King said.

He also noted the doctor's testimony that she was extremely tired and unwell at the time.

Mr King said there was no doubt that the deceased was let down by the health care he received in WA.

"It is a terrible irony that the deceased had come to Australia from a much less affluent society where he received apparently informal but effective treatment for a painful, but not life-threatening, condition," he said.

"He was convinced to place his trust in modern western medical treatment, and the provision of that treatment not only failed him, it probably precipitated his death."