January 19, 2003	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 15, 1423

HONG KONG, Jan 18: A British journalist who accused Hong Kong medical staff of racism after his wife of Indian origin died in a hospital, has filed a High Court writ seeking damages, a report said Saturday.

Martin Jacques filed the writ against Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority, three years after his solicitor wife Harinder Veriah died following an epilepsy fit while celebrating the new millennium, the South China Morning Post reported.

The writ said negligence had led to the failed treatment of Malaysian-born Veriah following her admission to the hospital and made a claim against the Hospital Authority for unspecified damages.

An inquest in November 2000 heard that Veriah, 33, had collapsed on January 1. She was admitted to hospital in a stable condition which changed when she suffered another fit on January 2.

Veriah’s condition improved after she was injected with valium but a nurse noticed her blood-oxygen level had not improved despite being given extra oxygen.

When she failed to respond, a doctor was called to resuscitate her but Veriah later stopped breathing, had a cardiac arrest and was declared dead shortly after.

During the inquest, Jacques had said: “She told me ‘I am at the bottom of the pile’. I was very shocked and said ‘what do you mean?’ She said: ‘I am the only Indian here, everyone else is Chinese’.”

Jacques told the inquest her death had been “entirely avoidable” and that she had felt she was receiving poor care because of the colour of her skin.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by natural causes and cleared hospital staff of any negligence.

Jacques’ accusation of prejudice against his wife sparked a debate about racism.

On his return to London, Jacques secured a second inquest in Britain in June 2002.

The coroner in London recorded an open verdict and said serious questions had to be raised about the quality of care she received, the Post said.

Details of the writ come just two days after British parliamentary undersecretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth office cited the case of Veriah while calling on Hong Kong to implement a law against racial discrimination.—AFP