ASBESTOS BATTLE IS MY TOUGHEST FIGHT; Ex-boxer takes on hospital managers.

Byline: COLM DONNELLY

A RETIRED docker and former boxer has won his fight to have his asbestosis diagnosis confirmed.

Arthur Rafferty, 69, worked as a deep-sea docker in Belfast for 25 years during which time he unloaded thousands of tons of blue and white asbestos from ships docking in the city.

Diagnosed with asbestosis at the Mater Hospital in Belfast in 2001, he attended as a regular patient there until 2007.

But that year, just as a compensation case for dockers with the condition was being brought before the courts, he was informed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust that doctors had made a mistake and the diagnosis had been wrong.

Trust officials asked the North Belfast man to attend the City Hospital for examination and a doctor there said he did not have the condition.

Furious Arthur could not believe after six years of having been seen at the Mater Hospital as an asbestosis patient, the Trust could change its mind.

He did not accept the verdict and another appointment was made for him at Antrim Area Hospital.

Again, a doctor there said he did not have asbestosis, but Arthur claims he did not even have to take off his shirt to have his chest sounded and the diagnosis seemed to be made on notes already supplied by the Belfast Trust.

SPECIALIST

A series of letters, all of which Arthur has kept, was then exchanged between him and the health body.

He contacted MP Nigel Dodds and the Trust was persuaded to refer Arthur to one of only a handful of asbestosis experts in the UK - Dr Chris Warburton of the Aintree Hospital in Liverpool.

The specialist diagnosed asbestosis almost at once. Now Arthur, who must keep a humidifier and a fan running at home to allow him to breathe comfortably, claims he has been "left in limbo" by Belfast Trust.

He said: "They agreed to accept the verdict of the Liverpool specialist and were in touch about my future medical needs.

"But I told them I would not be happy to be referred to any of the medics who had seen me previously.

"The matter seems to have been left at that for now."

Arthur vowed to continue campaigning for fellow dockers with asbestosis.

He said: "This is the biggest fight of my life and I'm in it for the full 15 rounds.

"The medical establishment does not expect to be spoken back to by the little man, the ordinary person. But it got into the ring with the wrong guy this time."

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust was not available for comment yesterday.

CAPTION(S):

CAMPAIGN Former Belfast docker Arthur Rafferty CONTENDER Arthur Rafferty in his boxing youth