Family in dark over death

The family of a Burnham soldier is angry that it still does not know why he died after surgery.

Clinton Botha, 21, died in Christchurch Hospital on March 7 after an operation the previous day to relieve severe headaches. He had been diagnosed with Chiari malformation a congenital defect at the back of the head that can cause severe headaches.

Botha's mother, Charlotte, said family members were being stonewalled in their search for answers.

"I am furious. I am heartbroken. I miss him so much," she said. "I am trying to understand what happened and why, and I hit brick walls everywhere.

"I have been trying to get information about his operation. Is it major surgery? What are the risks? No-one is prepared to give me answers. They all close up."

Christchurch Hospital chief medical officer Nigel Millar said an internal review was near completion.

"The death of Clinton is extremely sad ... and is of such gravity that we must examine in detail all the circumstances that may have contributed to it," he said.

The findings would be shared with Botha's family, Millar said.

- © Fairfax NZ News