Aishwarya Aswath’s shattered parents are demanding a new director-general for WA’s trouble-plagued health system following an inquest.
Aishwarya died from sepsis on Easter Saturday 2021, hours after arriving at the Perth Children’s Hospital emergency department with a fever and unusually cold hands.
Her father, Aswath Chavittupara, called for the resignation of the health department’s director general, Dr David Russell-Weisz.
“There was a chance they could have saved Aishwarya and they should have saved Aishwarya,” he said.
“Sometimes when we look at changing the game we look at finding a new captain.”
Russell-Weiz said, “I don’t resile from taking the hard decisions and seeing these very very difficult and challenging times through”.
The scathing coroner’s report contained five recommendations.
The first is for the government to immediately increase nurse-to-patient ratios.
“We’re not waiting for those negotiations to resolve — we are doing that work in good faith now.” Health Minister Amber-Jane Sanderson said
But Janet Reah from the Australian Nurses Federation said nothing has changed.
“Anything I have seen and spoken to nurses about have told me that nothing has changed in two years and that is an indictment on this government,” she said.
“From our point of view, there’s been no work done by the government themselves, they’ve put something out to an auditing company for the staffing levels, so if you call that underway, it’s underway.”
The coroner also called for a dedicated resuscitation team based in the emergency department at Perth Children’s Hospital.
On Friday, Sanderson was adamant such a team was in place.
Today she was forced to clarify she wasn’t right, saying she was disappointed her information was wrong.
“The government has provided funding for that team and I expect it to be in place,” she said.
Aishwarya ‘s mother, Aswath Chavittupara, said she won’t get to mark normal milestones.
“Every mother should be celebrating their child’s achievements, share their daughter’s happiness — but I am holding my daughter’s death certificate and inquest report,” she said.
9News Perth contacted Perth Children’s Hospital but hadn’t received a reply at time of publishing.
