AMAR NATH

Councillor Amar Nath was rushed to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre for emergency brain surgery just days after being sent home from the DRI with headache tablets. Doctors discovered a large blood clot on his brain following a brain scan. Cllr Nath had visited the A&E department at the DRI complaining of severe headaches and suffering from partial paralysis but was sent home with a course of co-codamol tablets to relieve the pain.

His family doubted the diagnosis so contacted a relative in America who is a doctor. They were advised to return to the hospital and insist upon a head scan, which they did. Following the scan, the family were told he would die if he was not operated on immediately. Mr Nath, Derby City Council's cabinet member for housing and social inclusion, was rushed to the QMC, where he underwent a three-hour operation which was successful.

He had slipped and banged his head on his way home from a council meeting a couple of months previously and thought nothing of it but it ruptured a blood vessel. Ian Robertson, consultant surgeon at the QMC, said, "If he hadn't been treated then the clot would have increased, causing sufficient brain compression to have caused his death. But he is making a very good recovery. Our expectations are that he should make a full recovery." Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust refused to comment on the case. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)

Councillor Amar Nath, cabinet member for neighbourhood, community, and housing policy on the city council, has resigned from the group and the Labour Party. Mr Nath said he had discussed his reasons with the group's leader, Councillor Chris Williamson, and with deputy leader Dave Roberts but said he did not feel it appropriate to reveal what they were. There are now 21 Labour councillors, 13 Lib Dems, 14 Conservatives and two independent councillors. The resignation is the third in four months from Labour. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/08)