FAMILY members of a frontline pharmacist who died after contracting COVID-19 are pursuing legal action against the British Government over its handling of the pandemic.
The son of London-based pharmacy owner, Navin Shantilal Talati, told The Pharmaceutical Journal that he wanted "transparency, clarification of the facts and accountability, not just for me, but for the tens of thousands of people who have lost loved ones".
Lawyer, Sunil Abeyewickreme, said Government ministers and health authorities failed "to comply with their duties under Article 2 of the Human Rights Act 1998 that have resulted in a large number of avoidable deaths, including a number of healthcare professionals that have lost their lives".
Abeyewickreme told The Pharmaceutical Journal that an "unsatisfactory response" of a pre-action letter had left Minesh Talati with no option but to pursue the Government through the courts.
"It is being alleged that the secretary of state did not do all that could be reasonably expected of him to avoid a real and immediate risk to life from COVID-19, despite the knowledge that the government had at the time," Abeyewickreme said.
The Department of Health and Social Care told the publication that it was not able to comment on the potential litigation.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 30 Jun 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 30 Jun 20
