Caribbean medics save NHS patient

Mr Lovesey was on a family holiday to celebrate his 40th birthday

A British holidaymaker had life-saving surgery in the Dominican Republic after years of complaining to NHS doctors of stomach cramps without getting a cure.

Peter Lovesey was rushed to hospital hours after landing and medics quickly diagnosed a ruptured gall bladder.

After performing ultrasound and keyhole surgery to remove the organ, doctors told Mr Lovesey, from West Moors, Dorset, he was lucky to be alive.

The businessman now plans to sue the NHS claiming misdiagnosis.

If my gall bladder had ruptured on the airplane, I would have been dead Peter Lovesey

Mr Lovesey's holiday was meant as a 40th birthday treat for him, with his wife Rachel and their children, Chloe, eight and Marcus, five.

But while waiting for his flight to the Dominican Republic at Gatwick Airport, he collapsed in pain.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital in Surrey, but doctors found nothing wrong with him and declared him fit to fly.

Mr Lovesey said: "It's disgusting. The doctors in Dominican Republic said I'm very lucky to be alive because if my gall bladder had ruptured on the airplane at 35,000ft, I would have been dead."

Panic attacks

He claims doctors at the Royal Bournemouth NHS Trust did not work out what was wrong after he had complained of pain for four years.

Despite suffering 60 attacks and being admitted to hospital 10 times, medics never identified a problem and his GP suggested he may be suffering from panic attacks.

Mr Lovesey, who runs a children's and babywear clothing company, first had stomach pains in June 2000.

He was admitted to hospital but always sent home after blood tests, X-rays and other probes revealed nothing.

He said: "In the end I stopped calling the hospital because there was nothing they could do.

"I would just walk around the garden, lie on the floor, use a hot water bottle with absolute tears coming out of my eyes. I couldn't begin to tell you about the pain."

A Bournemouth NHS Trust spokeswoman said: "We don't discuss individual patients, but we would encourage anybody who has a complaint to use the complaints procedure."