Health
Man who took own life after vaccine complications was denied pay out
An NHS pharmacist who took his own life after the Covid vaccine left him suffering with paralysing complications has his request for compensation rejected.
John Cross was told by the official medical assessor for the government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) that the Covid vaccine had caused his rare neurological effects but he wasn’t disabled enough for a payment.
The VDPS was set up in 1979 to make one-off payments of £120,000 to people who have suffered rare, but significant, side effects to various vaccines.
Mr Cross was a strong supporter of vaccination and was eager to get his jab to protect vulnerable and elderly relatives but two weeks after his first dose he began to suffer from progressive paralysis that travelled through his body.
He was unable to move, blink or breathe and was admitted to intensive care where he was given a breathing tube in his neck and nursing staff had to tape his eyes closed so he could sleep.
Doctors eventually diagnosed Mr Cross with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, swelling of the nerves that leads to a loss of strength and sensation, and relapsed several times.
John Cross pictured in hospital where he spent seven months recovering after being diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
Mr Cross eventually learned to eat, walk and talk again but his mobility and fitness never returned to the level it was before he got sick
After seven months in hospital recovering, he slowly learned to eat, walk and talk again but his mobility and fitness never returned to the level it was before he got sick. He was left with chronic pain and numbness and relapsed several times.
Doctors urged Mr Cross to submit a claim to the VDPS but after a two years of delays, only one review of his medical records and no face-to-face assessment, his claim was rejected.
His widow, Christine, told Sky News: ‘Nobody spoke to him. There was no personal contact, nothing. Just fill in this form and that was it.
‘I’m very angry. John went through enough with the illness and the recovery without going through the trauma of this bureaucracy.’
His mental health began declining shortly after the rejection and he eventually took his own life in October 2023 after another flare-up meant he would have to receive more gruelling treatment.
Mr Cross’s eldest son, Adam, said his father dreaded the intense dialysis-like treatment to remove rogue antibodies from his blood because it left him extremely fatigued for days after.
Mr Cross had begun gathering medical evidence to have the judgement overturned before he took his own life but he became increasingly anxious and overwhelmed.
His family told Sky News that they are going to try have the judgement overturned and are calling for urgent reform to the government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
His widow, Christine, told Sky News: ‘I’m very angry. John went through enough with the illness and the recovery without going through the trauma of this bureaucracy’
His family told Sky News that they are going to try have the judgement overturned and are calling for urgent reform to the government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. Pictured left to right: His daughter, Liz Whitehead, and his two sons Adam and Phillip
His youngest son, Phillip Cross, said: ‘We want some good out of this and to get the system changed in memory of dad.
‘You look at everything and it’s just wrong. It’s unjust.’
His daughter, Liz Whitehead, said: ‘We’ve all had our vaccinations. And we continue to since we’ve lost dad.
‘But now you start to question. If a rare, unusual thing were to take place, the system’s not got your back. It’s not there for you… is it worth the risk?’
Under the VDPS, a medical examiner assesses patient records and testimonies from doctors involved in the claimant’s care.
The claimant must be deemed to be 60 per cent disabled to qualify for payment. For example, an amputation below the knee would be deemed sufficient for a payout.
However, the Cross family’s solicitor, Peter Todd, of Scott-Moncrieff and Associates, said medical assessors struggle to make ‘apples and pears’ comparisons with complex damage from vaccines.
He said: ‘The threshold is often misunderstood as being very high, akin to being totally paralysed.
‘But it isn’t. It’s a much lower standard, and they have to take into account both the physical disablement and the psychological impact.’
Mr Todd has tracked the number of applications sent to the VDPS. Before the pandemic there were a few dozen each year but 14,000 people have made claims since the COVID vaccine rollout in late 2020 according to Freedom of Information requests submitted by Mr Todd to the NHS Business Services Authority.
Just over 6,000 have been given news of an outcome so far and 180 people have been told they would be given a payment.
Another 350 people have been told that the vaccine caused their complications on the balance of probabilities but that they didn’t meet the 60% disability threshold for a pay out.
A private hospital in Osun State has come under public attention following reports that it is detaining a newborn baby over an unpaid medical bill estimated at N700,000. The incident has generated public concern and renewed discussions about patients’ rights and medical ethics in Nigeria.
The case involves a young mother who reportedly experienced serious medical complications during childbirth, leading to extended hospital care for both her and the baby. After treatment was completed and the newborn was declared medically stable, the hospital allegedly refused to discharge the child, insisting that the outstanding bill must be settled first.
Sources say the family has already paid a significant amount for medical services but has been unable to raise the remaining balance due to financial hardship.
Relatives of the mother have appealed for understanding, stating that the continued stay of the newborn in the hospital has placed emotional and psychological strain on the family.
The hospital management is reported to have justified its position by pointing to past experiences where patients left without paying their medical bills. According to the management, unpaid debts affect the hospital’s ability to operate and provide services to other patients.
The situation has attracted criticism from members of the public and human rights advocates, who argue that holding patients, particularly newborns, over unpaid bills is unethical and contrary to basic human rights principles. Some legal observers have also suggested that such actions may conflict with existing laws and professional medical standards.
As public reaction continues to grow, there have been calls for the Osun State Government and relevant health authorities to step in, facilitate the release of the newborn, and address systemic issues that allow such incidents to occur.
The case has once again drawn attention to the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare system, especially the financial burden on families and limited access to affordable healthcare.
The federal government has temporarily opened a section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway for vehicular movement.
The 47-kilometre stretch runs from the Ahmadu Bello Way junction in Victoria Island to the Eleko junction.
The road was temporarily opened on Friday after a ceremony attended by David Umahi, minister of works; Gbolahan Lawal, Oniru of Iruland; Barinada Mpigi, the chairman of senate committee on works; Dany Abboud, managing director of Hitech construction company; Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos commissioner for transportation; and officials of the ministry of works.
Olufemi Dare, federal controller of works in Lagos, said the government decided to temporarily open the section to ease traffic congestion during the Yuletide season.
Dare said the 47km section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road was awarded to Hitech construction company for N1,067,887,381,148.61.
He said the contract sum covered the “construction of rigid pavement dual-carriage highway with accompanying drainages and culverts, median barriers, street lightings, and the relocation of public utilities like electric cables, poles, cable ducts, gas and water pipelines as required”.
“The stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that falls entirely within the Lagos State border is 103km in length,” he said.
“Up till date, a total of 30km of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) has been completed, while sand filling has been completed on the remaining 17.474km, and the whole stretch of 47.474km is thus motorable.
“The total stretch in section 1 is projected to be completed before the end of the second quarter of 2026.”
Speaking during the ceremony, the works minister said it is untrue that the federal government is only concentrating on the Lagos-Calabar coastal road, adding that other projects are currently being executed.
He added that the federal government is ready to accept constructive criticism about the project.
The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory Administration has commended the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, for the implementation of the union’s demands.
The President of ARD-FCTA, Dr. George Ebong, commended the minister during an outreach at Durumi Area 1 Internally Displaced Persons Camp.
He said despite numerous challenges for doctors in the FCT, the minister has been able to implement some of the demands, and urged the FCTA to quickly implement the outstanding issues.
Ebong said the association is committed to providing free healthcare services to IDPs as their major duty is to save lives.
“We decided to come to the IDP camp with some drugs, and that’s why we are here.
“We are grateful for every implementation of our demands. Yes, there are fewer times that are still there, but we believe that the Minister will see to that,” he told Ekwutosblog in an interview.
Recall that the FCT doctors had embarked on several strike actions to press home their demands, including improved welfare.
ARD-FCTA suspended its latest strike recently pending full implementation of outstanding demands by the FCTA.
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