Danielle Ainsworth said her children, Kaiysen, four, Lachlan, six, and Makayla, 12, have all been left to deal with the devastating after effects of the bungle.
“It’s frustrating beyond belief that they have been set back and have the high potential to never catch up to their age-appropriate behaviour,” Ainsworth said.
The mother’s youngest, Kaiysen, has been described as a “giggly boy” – but that’s close to the limit of his verbal communication.
я╗┐The Ainsworths’ situation is just one among a number of other cases.
Jun Ting Song, nine, realised his cochlear implants were faulty six months ago.
“It felt like the battery was flat,” he said.
So far, 30 South Australian children have been identified by the WCH as receiving implants with programming errors, with that number expected to grow.
Many families are only now just finding out for themselves that they are victims, not having been contacted by the hospital or the government.
“It’s crucial all families who received a cochlear implant at the WCH over the last 10 years be contacted,” Opposition Leader David Speirs said.
“We know it (dates back) at least five years, but we need to go back further just to be sure we’ve got everyone,” Health Minister Chris Picton said.
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With even the government conceding a giant compensation claim was likely looming, itтАЩs drawn the attention of law firms across the country, many of whom are encouraging families to seek legal advice.
“I don’t think financial compensation will ever make up for what’s happened,” Ainsworth said.
