Ambulance workers 'refused to take dying student to hospital'

Two ambulance workers have been removed from frontline duties after complaints that they refused to take a dying student to hospital.

Sarah Mulega, 21, was discovered collapsed in her bedroom in Barking, Essex, by her landlady, Chinwe Moneke, who called for an ambulance.

Miss Mulega suffered from sickle cell anaemia, a genetic blood condition - where some of the red blood cells are misshaped and can restrict blood flow causing painful episodes called crisis, which can be deadly.

Collapsed: Sarah Mulega's cause of death has not yet been established

But when paramedics arrived more than half an hour later they allegedly refused to take the dying student to hospital because she had soiled herself. She died just hours later.

Two members of London Ambulance Service have been taken away from frontline duties while the allegations are investigated.

Miss Mulega's cousin, Thomas Chisanga, 33, said: 'The people who were there to help her let her down in the last hour.



'We simply don't want it to happen to anyone else.

'It's so painful. I have so much anger towards them.'

The 21-year-old worked part time as a carer to support herself while she studied business management.

Her landlady said she discovered Miss Mulega collapsed in her bedroom on January 9 and rang for an ambulance at about 4.15pm.

She said she made a second call at about 4.30pm to say her condition was getting worse and a third call at 4.45pm to say she thought her tenant was having a sickle cell crisis.

An ambulance arrived at the home in Barking at about 4.50pm and Ms Moneke claims the ambulance workers refused to take her to hospital.

She said: 'They did not check Sarah's temperature nor heartbeat. In fact they did not touch her at all.'

The stunned landlady said she heard one of the paramedics tell the dying student 'If you want to be taken to hospital, then get up so we can take you'.

She believes the medics refused to touch the dying student because she had soiled herself.

The landlady said she cleaned her up until Miss Mulega's sister arrived and by then the student was unresponsive so she called a second ambulance.

She added: 'We were panicking and crying.'

A second ambulance came to the house and took Miss Mulega to hospital but she died there later the same evening.

An inquest has opened into her death but a cause of death has not yet been established.

A spokesman for London Ambulance Service said: 'We are looking into what happened and have received a complaint about the incident.

'In the meantime the first two members of staff who attended have been taken off frontline duties pending the outcome of this investigation.

'We would like to offer our condolences to the patient's family and we wills hare the findings of our investigation with them as soon as we can.'



