The Star: October 14, 2021

The Star Thursday October 14 2021
6
NEWS
• By Hamish Clark
A CHRISTCHURCH man
living in Europe was denied
an emergency MIQ spot the
day before his father died from
terminal cancer.
Darin Paterson received news
last week that his father was
gravely ill and was sent home
from Ashburton Hospital.
Paterson applied for an
emergency MIQ voucher, which
included a letter of support from
his father’s medical practitioner,
and booked a ticket home from
Latvia, only to be turned down
and told to reapply.
Paterson lives near the Baltic
Sea and works as a property
developer.
He previously lived in
Christchurch but left after his
home was badly affected by the
February 22, 2011, earthquake.
Three weeks ago, his father
Bruce Paterson was diagnosed
with a cancer tumour. He was
admitted to Ashburton Hospital
on October 1, but doctors found
the cancer had spread to his
lungs, liver, spleen, and brain.
They were left with the only
option of palliative care and pain
management.
Paterson immediately applied
for an emergency MIQ voucher
last Wednesday to get home and
see his father before he died.
He booked a flight two days
later, on October 7, expecting to
be granted an emergency room.
In his MIQ application, he
included a letter from his father’s
doctor, seeking “compassionate
consideration for flights for
relative” so he could “support
his father in the last stages of his
life”.
The letter listed his father’s
condition as “terminal”, that he
was in palliative care, and that
“end of life planning has commenced”.
‘‘Given these extenuating circumstances,
we would appreciate
your kind and compassionate
consideration of his son’s return
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Man denied trip home to see dying father
UPSET: Darin Paterson (left) was denied an emergency MIQ spot to visit his dying father
Bruce.
back into the country and consider
it with some urgency given
the rate of deterioration.”
Three days later Paterson was
turned down by the MIQ emergency
allocation team.
They told him that the wording
from his father’s doctor was not
adequate and that he would need
to resubmit the correct information.
It said: “Anyone applying for
an emergency allocation under
this category needs to supply
a letter from a medical practitioner
stating the close relative’s
medical condition is terminal
and their life expectancy is six
months or less.
“Unfortunately, your application
does not include evidence
from a medical practitioner that
confirms the life expectancy of
your close relative.”
His father passed away the following
day, aged 75.
Paterson had spoken to his
father for an hour just before
he died, “describing the funny
things that happened (to) them
in the past”.
“He was ready to go and I just
wish I could have been there to
say goodbye.”
On Monday, Paterson emailed
Jacinda Ardern directly, imploring
her to change the Government
policy for re-entry to New
Zealand, saying it “simply is not
fair.”
He told the prime minister an
“emergency request should not
take this long and my father died
on Sunday morning, one week
from being diagnosed as terminal
and enough time for me to
return from Latvia to see him”.
Paterson was fully vaccinated
and willing to self-isolate for two
weeks.
He says the Government
“dropped the ball” and
questioned how sportspeople,
entertainers and politicians get
special treatment above someone
wishing to see their dying parent
for one last time.
On Monday the prime minister’s
office replied, saying “we are
sorry to hear about your father”
and “it (must) be a difficult time
for you”.
It said they had passed on his
concerns to the minister responsible
for Covid-19 response,
Chris Hipkins, “to ensure that
you hear back from someone as
soon as possible”.
The funeral for his father was
scheduled for yesterday.
Paterson said he will watch it
online and give a video eulogy,
but he will miss not being with
family and friends and a chance
to laugh about the times they
had together.
– NZ Herald
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