A GP has been ordered to apologise for failing to act on “red flag symptoms” and refer a young woman to a breast cancer specialist despite a “reassuring” scan report. 

The 32-year-old mother of two died last year from breast cancer after delays in her diagnosis and treatment, according to a finding from New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner. 

She had visited the medical centre in 2015 with concerns about a daily blood-stained discharge from her left nipple, as well as changes in the shape and texture of the breast. 

Six months before seeing the GP, the woman had stopped breastfeeding her first child, said the commissioner’s June finding.