Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan’s family settles with Dallas hospital

The family of the only Ebola patient to die in the U.S. have reached a settlement with the hospital which botched his treatment for an undisclosed amount.

A foundation has been set up in honor of Thomas Eric Duncan which will assist other Ebola victims in West Africa, family attorney Les Weisbrod said on Wednesday in Dallas, Texas.

The foundation is part of a larger settlement from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital that will ‘take care’ of Duncan’s four children and his parents, the attorney said, but did not reveal how much the settlement was worth.

Louise Troh, Duncan’s fiancée who was quarantined at her home following his diagnosis and then struggled to find a new place to live,  will not receive anything in the settlement.

Mr Weisbrod told reporters the hospital ‘wanted to do the right thing’. Details of the deal were not released and the family will not be billed for his care, the attorney said.

Hospital officials said a settlement had been reached but did not provided details.

Duncan died on October 8. The Liberian man was initially sent away from the hospital’s emergency room with antibiotics, something hospital administrators have acknowledged was a mistake.

Texas Health has already apologized to Mr Duncan’s family.

Duncan’s nephew, Josephus Weeks, has previously been critical of the care Duncan received, saying his death was partly due to his race, nationality and lack of insurance.

But on Wednesday, he credited Presbyterian’s officials for moving quickly to settle the case and acknowledge mistakes.

Mr Weeks said he will be ‘the face of the foundation’, which he hopes will lead to a new hospital or the dedication of a hospital wing in Liberia.

‘The main focus is that Eric’s name is on something and everybody knows that he didn’t die in vain,’ he said.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas confirmed the creation of the foundation in a statement and said it has ‘amicably addressed all matters’ with Duncan’s family.

The hospital has apologized for releasing Duncan the first time, and after initially denying he had told them he was from West Africa, they acknowledged key caregivers missed his travel history in their record system.

Duncan’s sister, Mai Wureh, said that the hospital had satisfied her request for the remainder of her brother’s medical records, including lab results of his treatment with the experimental drug brincidofovir.

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