UK hospital makes out-of-court settlement with NRI

An Indian-origin man and his British wife have been awarded 160,000 pounds in an out-of-court settlement, following the death of their baby in a hospital in Cardiff, in November 2005.

Krishna Govekar of Goan origin and his wife Johanne Rees lost their son Arun due to a series of alleged blunders by the hospital. After three years of legal action, the hospital has now offered them the settlement.

The couple said they will now start a new life in Goa, where Govekar reportedly owns a restaurant.

Rees said, "Arun was a precious, much-wanted baby. Krishna and I both desperately wanted to start a family together and the plan had always been for me to move out to Goa so that we could be married."

"After the upset of an earlier miscarriage, we were both so thrilled when I became pregnant again. Losing Arun has completely devastated us both and it's difficult to come to terms with his loss even now," she said.

Guy Forster, the couple's lawyer, said, "For Johanne and Krishna, this case has never been about the money but about ensuring that lessons have been learned, as they do not want any other couple to go through the tragedy they have experienced."