'Doctors mistook my dad's cancer for bloating - his agonising death was avoidable'

'Doctors mistook my dad's cancer for bloating - his agonising death was avoidable' Bharat Gharu was admitted to hospital complaining of pain in his abdomen and bloating, but he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis A dad whose cancer was diagnosed late was left screaming for his legs to be "chopped off" in a hospital corridor - before dying minutes later. Bharat Gharu, 71, was admitted to hospital complaining of pain in his abdomen and bloating. But he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas - and discharged. As his symptoms worsened, Bharat, from Redbridge, London, returned to hospital five months later and, to his shock, was told he had stage four pancreatic cancer and it had already spread to his lungs, liver and bones. The only option was chemotherapy or palliative care and, six weeks later, the dad of five collapsed at home screaming for his legs to be chopped off. He was taken to hospital with daughter Careena Gharu, 39, and her brother, who said they were left in a corridor while her father was in agony. By the time the doctors wheeled him to a room, it was too late. He died minutes later. Careena, a graphic designer and yoga teacher, said: "If it had been followed up properly the first time, he could have had surgery. But it had spread so quickly doctors told us the only option was chemotherapy or palliative care. "They administered some morphine in the ambulance, but when we got to the hospital he was still in agony. They left us in a corridor. He was screaming, 'somebody help me'. "My dad was failed at every step, until he died an extremely painful death that could have been avoided." In June 2024, Bharat Gharu first started experiencing discomfort in his abdomen. He was admitted to hospital, diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, and discharged. Doctors said there would be a follow-up appointment two months later, but Bharat reportedly never heard back from them, the family said. Later that year in November, he was admitted back to hospital with the same symptoms. They found a growth and assured Bharat it would be checked. By the end of January, Bharat was back in hospital for a biopsy. To Bharat's shock, they diagnosed him with stage four pancreatic cancer that had spread to his lungs, liver, and bones. Careena, who also lives in Redbridge, London, told Talk to the Press: "Everybody was devastated including him, it was such a shock. "We were distraught that it had gone that far without us even knowing it could have been cancer. He was told he had two options: chemotherapy or palliative care. He chose palliative care. He wanted to be comfortable at home. "He knew nothing could be done, and he wanted to live out his last days pain-free. The palliative care team gave my mum a number to call if the pain ever got to bad or in an emergency, and they said they'd come out and give him injections that get rid of the pain and calm him, to make his end of life easier." On the morning of March 16, 2025, Bharat collapsed in the bathroom. Careena said: "He couldn't stand, he was in absolute agony, and was passing blood through his stool. My mum immediately did what she was told and called the palliative care team. "They said it was probably just hemorrhoids, so they weren't going to send anyone out. My younger brother got on the phone and begged them. He pleaded with them to send someone out, but they just told us to call 111. "At that point my dad was screaming saying, 'someone help me,' 'someone chop off my legs,' because the pain was so severe. We called 999, and the first paramedic who arrived just shouted at him to calm down, it was awful. Then two more came and managed to lift him from the bathroom to the bedroom." Careena said that the paramedics refused to administer medication because the palliative team needed to present a medication chart of what he was on. She said: "He was still screaming the whole time and they refused any pain relief. "They wouldn't even take him to hospital. But no one from the palliative care team was coming. We were just waiting for someone to help him but no one would. Eventually, because the palliative care team were taking so long, they decided to take him to hospital. "I followed the ambulance. There were no blue lights, no sense of urgency, nothing." Ensure our latest health headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings Careena's brother, Ravi Gharu, 36, rode in the ambulance with his father. He said: "My dad was slamming his hand against the side of the ambulance, screaming in pain. He was screaming, "Come on, someone do something." When Careena, Ravi and Bharat arrived at the hospital, Bharat was allegedly left waiting in the corridor. "Me and my brother were running around the ward shouting for the doctors to help but they said he had to be 'logged in' by the paramedic before he could be seen. "At one point, he pointed at his chest and said, 'I can't breathe.' Then a paramedic casually strolled over, looked at him and said, 'No, I can see him breathing.'" Careena said they were left in the corridor for at least 20 minutes. Eventually, Bharat was wheeled to a room, and the paramedic took his blood pressure. Careena said: "It was 44 over 29. The paramedic thought the reading was wrong, but it was because he was dying. Then my dad looked at me and my brother, said he couldn't breathe, and died. Suddenly, the room filled with nurses and doctors as they tried to resuscitate him, despite no one helping him before. "I was just chanting, 'come on dad, don't leave us, you can come back' hoping he could hear me, but my brother was just in shock. I just can't believe his last hours were that awful.." Careena formally complained about the service from both the paramedics and palliative care team, but said their responses were disappointing. After investigating the case, the London Ambulance Service and the palliative care team produced a full report on the incident. But Careena says the paramedic's report had contradictions in it. The report stated that the first paramedic on the scene "was immediately concerned about the blood on his legs and the possibility of a catastrophic hemorrhage or serious injury, both of which can be life-threatening and require urgent management." However, it also stated that paramedics did not turn the blue lights on because they said "the catastrophic internal bleed occurred after arrival at the hospital." "That's just not correct. There was blood on his legs. They knew what had happened. It just seemed like the palliative care team were blaming the paramedics and the paramedics were blaming the palliative care team." Dr Fenella Wrigley, chief medical officer at London Ambulance Service, has commented on the situation: “We offer our sincere condolences to Mr Gharu’s family and are very sorry for the distress they experienced during his final hours. “We have taken the feedback from the family very seriously and carried out a detailed clinical review involving senior and specialist end-of-life care clinicians. "We recognise that aspects of the care and communication experienced by Mr Gharu and his family fell short of what they should expect from us, and we apologise sincerely for this. “The clinicians involved have reflected on the family’s experience and have met with our End-of-Life Care team as part of the learning arising from the complaint. We remain committed to learning from Mr Gharu’s experience and improving the care and support we provide to patients and families.” A spokesperson for NELFT, who were responsible for the palliative care team, said: “We offer our sincere condolences for the loss of Mr Gharu and are sorry for the concerns raised about their experience. "We have carefully reviewed the care provided and have taken a number of actions as a result, including additional training for staff, improvements to how our community services are explained to patients and families, and the introduction of an on-call triage service, with trained nurses able to attend patients more quickly when urgent care and medication are required at home. "We remain committed to improving the care and support we provide to patients and their families.” A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust said: “We offer our heartfelt condolences to Mr Gharu’s family and loved ones and are sorry that they feel his care did not meet the standards they expected. “Having reviewed the clinical notes, we believe Mr Gharu was treated appropriately given the seriousness of his medical condition.”