A GP today denied being told the full extent of a new mother's illness.
Dr Michael Evans was giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Jasmine Pickett, 29, who died of severe pneumonia three days after giving birth at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in December 2007.
He said that David Pickett, Jasmine's husband, telephoned him and initially said his wife had asthma.
Dr Evans, of Twyford surgery, denied being told either by Mr Pickett or by community midwife Tina Craze that Jasmine had been coughing up blood.
He told the hearing in Winchester: "Hospital treatment didn't seem to be appropriate at that stage. She had only started antibiotics and we could review that if she got worse.
"Mrs Craze didn't say anything that Jasmine was getting worse or a need to do anything else."
Dr Evans added that if he had known about the blood he would have suspected a deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and advised immediate admittance to hospital.
The inquest heard that soon afterwards Jasmine collapsed and died that day in the RHCH of sever pneumonia brought on by a streptococcal.
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