An Auckland mother died in a hospital ED days after she was diagnosed with tonsillitis
Pamela Rasmussen, 40, died in Auckland Hospital’s Emergency Department last month.
She had tried three times to get admitted to various hospitals.
Her bereft family is seeking answers, questioning the care she received.
Police attended the sudden death and the case has been referred to the coroner.
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The whānau of a mum of six who died suddenly in Auckland Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) last month wants to know how doctors got it so wrong.
Pamela Rasmussen, 40, (Ngāti Maniapoto) died in Auckland Hospital on May 13, 2025, four days after she had been diagnosed with tonsillitis at Waitakere Hospital, and following several visits to hospital EDs.
Health New Zealand (HNZ) said it could not comment on her death, as it was being investigated by the coroner, and would not say whether it would also conduct its own investigation.
Sore throat on May 9, dead on May 13
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Pamela’s symptoms began with a sore throat on May 9 and a visit to Waitakere ED complaining of breathlessness. She was admitted overnight, but by May 13 she was dead - from organ failure, according to whānau.
“They discharged her from Waitakere Hospital on May 10, saying it was tonsillitis, because [her tonsils] were inflamed,” Pamela’s younger sister Tamari Mose told the Herald.
On May 11, Mother’s Day, Pamela - who was still in pain - spent the morning with her children then returned to Waitākere Hospital.
She was then transferred to Auckland City Hospital for a throat endoscopy and doctors discharged her with medication on Monday afternoon, May 12.
On May 13, Pamela called an ambulance to rush her back to Auckland Hospital. She was not seen for two hours and sat in the emergency waiting room, her husband told the Herald.
When her husband Losi Rasmussen finally arrived at Auckland hospital, he said Pamela had still not been seen by health staff. The couple had been together more than 21 years and had six children.
“They called me at work and I rushed to the hospital. Pamela was still in the waiting room and I could see she was struggling to breathe,” Rasmussen told the Herald.
“Then a nurse came and took her blood pressure which was dropping. Pamela was rushed to a room and I went with her.”
Rasmussen said nurses and doctors were rushing around, and he saw Pamela “spewing” up blood into her oxygen mask.
“She waved to me to take off her mask because she couldn’t breathe,” Rasmussen said.
“I held her hand and squeezed it.”
I was taken out of the room and all I could hear was Pam’s screams. She was in pain. It was the last thing I ever heard from her.
Husband Losi Rasmussen
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Rasmussen said he was taken to an adjoining room while medical teams worked on Pamela.
“I was taken out of the room, and all I could hear was my wife’s screams. She was in pain. It was the last thing I ever heard from her.
“When I went back into the room, I could see the life had drained out of my wife,” Rasmussen said.
“She was a different colour.
“A nurse tried to comfort me and said my wife was dying.
“I didn’t want anyone around me, so I asked the nurses to leave and I didn’t know whether to be sad or angry. I just sat there.
Rasmussen is angry neither he nor the couple’s children had a chance to say goodbye to Pamela. “No one had a chance to say goodbye.”
The couple’s eldest daughter, Heather Rasmussen, said the whānau wants to know what happened.
“We want to know the truth about how Mum died. We don’t want other families to go through what we are.”
“We felt like she was just written off.
“Us older kids and dad are trying to be mum for my younger siblings.
“But they wake up in the night crying, wanting to know when mum is coming home.”
Pamela’s sister Tamari Mose said hospital staff told the whānau Pamela didn’t die from tonsillitis.
“It’s like they did minimal tests to get her out and didn’t look into it any further. Why wasn’t she chest X-rayed when she was brought back in on May 13? We have to wait for the coroner’s report for cause of death.”
Mose said the family also insisted police be called, as they attend all sudden and or unexpected deaths.
“The police turned up but only because we queried about a sudden death. They were not going to offer – we had to ask for that,“ Mose said.
“The staff said, ‘Oh yeah, we will ring the police’, who came later that night and did an initial investigation.
“We found out police were not happy with the initial report and its findings, and that’s when we were told it was organ failure, not tonsillitis, that killed her.
“That’s why she had to have an autopsy.” The autopsy will help the coroner with their findings.
Mose said the whānau is trying to do as much as they can for Pamela’s children. Not making it to the hospital in time to say goodbye has left the whānau devastated.
“The three older ones [kids] they understand that she’s gone, but the three younger ones, they’re still like, ‘When is mom coming home? When is she coming back up from the ground?’”.
“It’s so heartbreaking.”
Police confirmed they attended a sudden death at Auckland City Hospital on May 13.
“Staff attended the emergency department at around 8pm after a 40-year-old West Auckland woman had died.
“The death was not considered suspicious and has been referred to the Coroner.”
Said a Health NZ spokesperson: “We extend our deepest sympathies to this family for their loss.
“As this matter is before the Coroner, is it not appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
The Rasmussen family who lost their mum Pamela (back) suddenly. Her children Joshua (6), Pamela (7), Losiana (8), Serafina (15), Esther (20), and Heather (21) with dad Losi.
The Rasmussen family who lost their mum Pamela (back) suddenly. Her children Joshua (6), Pamela (7), Losiana (8), Serafina (15), Esther (20), and Heather (21) with dad Losi.
The family has created a Givealittle page to help provide support for Pamela’s children as they adjust to life without their mum.
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The Bible Declares That God is Bringing Jews Back To Their Ancient Land of Israel
The Bible reveals that God has chosen and cherished one specific people and one specific land to serve as the stage for revealing His plan and purpose to all nations. As we read in Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse six, speaking of the Jews: “The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
God’s ultimate purpose is to transform the world by establishing His Divine Rule in His new Kingdom based in Jerusalem. This will occur when Jesus Christ returns as King during a time of great trouble. At that moment, God will intervene to save first the Jewish people from destruction and gather them from all parts of the earth. Upon Christ’s return, God will put out a Call to be universally honoured, and a lasting peace will finally be established throughout the World. This has been his design from Creation which was told to the Fathers of Isreal first and then to the rest of the World by the teaching of Jesus and then his disciples in the New Testament.
**Exile and the Promise of Return**
Today, the Jewish people have often been cursed and despised among the nations. However, the prophets foretold that when Jesus returns, God will settle them in the land of Israel in security and safety. The historical rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah resulted in their greatest exile from the land, a dispersion that has lasted for approximately two thousand years.
Yet, in direct fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, God is now regathering the Jews to their ancestral homeland. As the prophet Isaiah declares, “For the Lord will have mercy upon Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land” (Isaiah 14:1). While Israel was scattered by God due to their failure to live obediently as His chosen nation, God promised He would never utterly forsake them. The prophet Ezekiel confirms this, stating,
“Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land” (Ezekiel 37:21).
**Fulfilment: The Modern State of Israel**
The promise of God to bring His people back to the land is proven and demonstrated by the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The Word of God declared,
“I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord, and I will cause them to return to the land” (Jeremiah 30:3).
Since 1948, we have witnessed Jews returning from all over the world to occupy the ancient land that was promised to the fathers of the nation: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This movement fulfils the words of Ezekiel:
“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
The undeniable return of the Jews to the land of Israel demonstrates that God is sovereignly guiding their destiny. Because we see these specific prophecies fulfilled, we can be assured that those prophecies yet to be fulfilled will also come to pass.
**God’s Unseen Hand in the Regathering**
The regathering of the Jews to the land of Israel is fundamentally the work of Almighty God in our time. It is not simply a political movement driven by the desire of the Jewish people to establish a nation and homeland. Rather, God’s unseen hand is behind the events that have led to the revival of the nation of Israel.
The Bible emphasises God’s personal involvement in this return through numerous passages:
- “Behold, I will save my people... and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:7-8).
- “I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return” (Jeremiah 30:10).
- “I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities” (Amos 9:14).
- “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel” (Micah 2:12).
**Conclusion: A Sign of Christ’s Return**
God is regathering Israel today. The very existence of the modern State of Israel is a clear and powerful sign that Almighty God is working amongst the nations. The Bible states that He “shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). This prophetic work is underway.
Israel sees their return as prophetical, but few understand that God will create events where first they will eventually be humbled by her neighbours before Christ returns as their Saviour. Read Ezekiel 38 & 39 to gain an incite as to what God's destiny fot Israel is.
We have seen for the last 125 years, the call for their return to their Homeland and its subsequent founding. This is God's reassurance to the World that He'll bring the World under His Blessing. Because of this, we can be confident that Jesus Christ will soon return to this earth to establish the Kingdom of God, a time of peace and plenty for every nation.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37.1% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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62.9% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
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