Sad Loss

[larrynz]

Not sure what happens in your country but here the power company should have had their account marked "Do not disconnect". We will here more about this.

Police have spoken to the family of a woman who died soon after a power company shut off power to her home oxygen machine.


Mangere woman Folole Muliaga, 44, was an early childhood teacher and mother of four children aged from five to 18.

A relative who married into Mrs Muliaga's family, Brenden Sheehan, said she had been off work since February with an illness.

Mrs Muliaga's husband Lopa, a chef's assistant, had been forced to reduce his work hours in order to care for her.

The family had been in New Zealand for six years, Mr Sheehan said.

Police said it was too soon to talk about murder or manslaughter charges.

Mrs Muliaga died when a Mercury Energy contractor cut power to her Mangere house in south Auckland yesterday. Without power the electric pump on her oxygen supply failed and she died.

A spokesman for Mrs Muliaga's family said the contractor was told she relied on electricity to survive but power was apparently cut off anyway.

Auckland law lecturer Bill Hodge said today if what the family said was true the contractor could face a manslaughter charge.

[bobbioh]

OMG how can something like that happen in this day and age. How very sad. I hope they get manslaugter. bobbioh

[morningstar]

Oh Bobbi,

It can happen last summer Tom and I was having a lot of money problems. I was just out the hospital no insurance tons of meds I needed and anything else you can think of and out Electric bill got out of hand.. We did pay some ever month but not in the amount they wanted. They turn our electric off and they had a paper from my doctor stating it was life support for me. One of our neighbors let Tom run a extetion cord from her outsie outlet in to run my oxygen and my fan and I light. It was off 24 hours. I called everyone I could think of and was told pay your bill. Finally my doctor got a hold of them and they turned it back on the next day. I was so afraid. I don't know what my doctor said but it worked We finally got caught up but I still live with this fear of the one month we won't have it and they will do it again.
Bless her and her family I know the fear she felt. It is all consuming. Even though my o2 supplier brought me a lot of tanks that fear was still there. Just thought I would share.

[larrynz]

The little bits I here it sounds like she never needed oxy 24, just at night. I would suspect she had a panic attack, it could be some time before the truth is out.

[Blossom/Jackie W.]

Sometimes I think we're going to H - - - - in a handbasket. Compassion is something we as humans, little by little, seem to be loosing.

[larrynz]

In this same week our Prime Minister wants to declare that we are not a Christian country and in Parliament they talk about stopping the daily prayer, a connection?
Even a non religious person like me can see the value of Christian principles.

[larrynz]

Update

Energy Minister Trevor Mallard released this afternoon a letter from Mercury Energy about their initial understanding of events in the run-up to the Mangere house being disconnected and resulting in the death of Folole Muliaga.

Mrs Muliaga, 44, used an oxygen machine which stopped after Mercury Energy cut off the power to her house because of an unpaid bill.

The letter was withheld yesterday because Mr Mallard was concerned about interfering with the police investigation.

National called for report to be released and Mr Mallard said now the information was in the public arena he had decided to release the material to those who asked for it.

Mercury Energy said the letter was written yesterday morning and that it represented the best information they had available to them at that time.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The letter reads:

"With reference to written and verbal requests for information today, from you and your office, with regard to the disconnection and subsequent death of Mrs Muliaga yesterday the following detail is provided.

As we have expressed to the family directly, we are naturally distressed by yesterday's events.

It should be noted that the information contained within this letter is provided in your capacity as a shareholding Minister of Mighty River Power Limited as it contains information that is subject to provisions of the Privacy Act.

As we continue to gather information from our service partners our view of the facts will no doubt become clearer.

The events, as we understand them, of 29 May 2007 are provided in chronological order:

* The electrical supply to Mrs Muliaga's property was disconnected as per our instruction to electrical contractors at, or around, 11am.

* The electrical contractor spoke to a youth at the property (understood to be Mrs Muliaga's son) and advised him that the power was due for disconnection due to non-payment. Mrs Muliaga's son accepted that power was to be disconnected at the property and made no mention of Mrs Muliaga's medical condition. Following the disconnection but prior to leaving the property the electrical contractor was asked by the son to speak to Mrs Muliaga about the disconnection.


* It was explained to Mrs Muliaga, by the electrical contractor, that disconnection had occurred due to non-payment of her account. Mrs Muliaga enquired about the time it would take to have the account reconnected -- it was explained that staff were on stand-by to reconnect properties once payment had been arranged. A card detailing the telephone numbers to call to make arrangements for payment was provided to Mrs Muliaga. At no time was the issue of Mrs Muliaga's medical condition or her reliance on medical equipment made known to the electrical contractor. He did note that she had a medical tube in her nose but this was not connected to any equipment.

* The first direct contact with representatives of the family to Mercury Energy, through a Victim Support person at the Otahuhu Police Station, occurred just prior to 8pm. A request to reconnect power to assist a family preparing for a funeral was made.

* Attempts were made after being alerted to the tragic circumstance surrounding Mrs Muliaga's death to have power reconnected as late as midnight. But we were unable to reach the family at the phone number we had on file, power was reconnected prior to 8am the following morning.

With respect to disconnection, our processes require considerable communications to ensure that customers have every opportunity to make or arrange payment.

The following procedures were followed in Mrs Muliaga's case and are embedded into out business processes.

* The bill is due 21 days after it is mailed;

* 10-14 days after this they will receive an automated phone call;

* 7-10 days after this they will receive their next bill with a message for payment and a disconnection notice will be sent.

* 7 days after this, a final disconnection notice is sent and a telegram is delivered by courier. The telegram states that they have 48 hours to make payment.

* Disconnection will then take place if no payment or arrangements to make payment are received.

Notwithstanding these processes, we provide limited opportunities to make other arrangements (in the event of extreme hardship and or where medical conditions make it appropriate) to exercise managerial discretion. This discretion is exercised in a small number of the ISO disconnections we arrange each day, indeed we note that the same electrical contractor that attended to the disconnection of Mrs Muliaga, together with our staff exercised this discretion in regard to an (deleted) property the day prior, on the spot, prior to actual disconnection.

Our disconnections are scheduled to occur during week mornings to enable the reconnection, if required, of properties. We have, along with other parties, attempted to get information from hospitals and other health providers as to persons that are reliant on medical equipment. But have been rebuffed on the basis of Privacy Act concerns.

I hope this meets you immediate information requirements. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Government has asked for advice on whether guidelines about disconnecting power supplies should be enforced through regulations.

Acting Energy Minister Trevor Mallard's spokeswoman said officials from the Economic Development Ministry had been asked to look into the guidelines in place now and the issue of whether they should be strengthened.

Mr Mallard said the Social Development Ministry and the Electricity Commission had worked with the industry on how it dealt with vulnerable consumers.

This had resulted in the 'Guidelines on Arrangements to Assist Low Income Domestic Consumers' being published in July 2006 for electricity suppliers to use.

Mr Mallard also asked officials for an update on any further work they were involved in, to protect vulnerable electricity consumers.