Family relief after second inquest into meningitis death

The father of a medical student who died from meningococcal disease says the family are relieved with the findings of a second inquest. 22-year-old Zachary Gravatt, died after the disease went undiagnosed for four hours at Auckland Hospital in 2009. In 2011, a coroner found Mr Gravatt was not treated on time and Auckland District Health Board paid the family compensation. Another inquest was called after the family received an anonymous letter in 2016 that claimed the on-call doctor was delayed getting to his bedside. In findings issued on Tuesday, coroner Morag McDowell found it would've been better to have a senior doctor at Mr Gravatt's bedside sooner, but it probably would not have changed the outcome. Zachary's father Lance Gravatt told reporter Jessie Chiang that after ten years, it's a huge relief to finally get their questions answered.