The fallout from the tragic death of a seven-year-old in a Perth hospital has escalated with an acknowledgment that the extremely sick girl may have been ‘overlooked’ – and claims that staff cuts put patients at risk.
Western Australian Health Minister Roger Cook admitted Aishwarya Aswath may have been missed as he called for an urgent enquiry into her death at Perth Children’s Hospital last Saturday.
Her devastated parents claim they repeatedly begged staff at the hospital reception for help as the little girl’s eyes clouded over and her hands went cold – but had to wait more than two hours to be seen.
Aishwarya Aswath died after allegedly being made to wait for two hours for treatment in the Perth Children’s Hospital emergency room, her parents claim
Now under-fire staff at the hospital have claimed that nurse-to-patient ratios have become dangerous, with cuts to nursing staff numbers putting patients at risk.
A Perth nurse recalled eight nurses trying to care for 93 patients during one recent shift, 7News reported.
The nurse said that ratio was dangerous but it was ‘becoming the norm’ due to staff cuts made during Covid.
There had also been ‘several other incidents resulting in significant harm’.
The circumstances surrounding Aishwarya’s death will be the subject of an internal investigation
Another Perth mum, Emma, claimed her extremely sick two-year-old – Amanda – was turned away twice from the Perth Children’s Hospital ER.
Amanda was later diagnosed with sepsis and was at risk of organ failure, but she miraculously survived.
‘I’m angry, you know I was hoping they would have woken up with what happened with Amanda,’ Emma said.
A mother who took her one-year-old to Perth Children’s Hospital the same night as Aishwarya Aswath lay dying in the reception area claimed the child was ‘easily’ the sickest when she was there.
‘The whole process there on that night was deplorable,’ the woman, who chose to remain anonymous, told WAToday. ‘This whole system failed that young family and my heart breaks for them.’
Nurses at Perth Children’s Hospital have defended themselves saying staff shortages were putting patients at risk
Emergency departments in Western Australia have been ‘crying out for help’ for months, said Australian Medical Association WA president Dr Andrew Miller.
‘We know that bad things happen, we know that people get sick and die, even children, but what families need at this time is to know that everything possible was done, even if the worst outcome was unavoidable here,’ Dr Miller told Perth radio 6PR.
The WA government blamed extra demand for mental health services, staff shortages and tough Covid cleaning standards for delays treating patients.
‘We were down a few doctors that night,’ said WA Health Minister Roger Cook told reporters.
‘It’s obviously part and parcel of running an emergency department in any sort of dynamic environment.’
Aswath Sasidharan pictured left with the youngster’s mother Prasitha Sasidharan. He broke down as he called on authorities to get to the bottom of his daughter’s death
‘In a post-Covid world, we are seeing higher volumes and we are seeing greater acuity and complexity.’
Mr Cook acknowledged the WA hospital system was facing ‘challenges’ and said border closures had made it difficult to hire staff.
The circumstances surrounding Aishwarya’s death will be the subject of an internal investigation by the Child and Adolescent Health Service which is expected to take four to six weeks.
CAHS chair Debbie Karasinski has revealed four doctors in the hospital’s emergency department were off sick that night.
Aishwarya was triaged as a category four patient, the second-lowest urgency.
Ms Karasinski was unable to provide details about the incident and said she didn’t know whether staff shortages had been a contributing factor.
Aishwarya’s mother Prasitha Sasidharan claimed she was told a doctor ‘would come and have a look’ but no one came for two hours.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook admitted Aishwarya Aswath may have been ‘overlooked’
‘I asked them… her eyes are changing, they asked if it’s normal and I said ‘it’s not normal, she didn’t have it before’,’ Mrs Sasidharan told 9News.
‘We pleaded with them to have a look. They didn’t think it was an emergency.
‘I went to the reception maybe four or five times. I was literally begging to them “please help, please help”.’
The seven-year-old’s father Aswath Chavittupara broke down as he called on authorities to get to the bottom of his daughter’s death.
‘I loved my daughter. This should never happen to any other child in this country,’ he said.
The hospital’s management offered the family their ‘sincere condolences’.
Her death is also being investigated by the coroner.
