Public Inquest Into Aishwarya Aswath's Death At Perth Children's Hospital Begins
Waited over two hours in ED
On April 3 last year at around 5.30pm, the parents of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath brought their daughter to the entrance of Perth Children Hospital who had cold hands, and a floppy frame.
Hours later after waiting to be seen, Aishwarya was taken into a resuscitation room before tragically passing away after suffering a sepsis infection.
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Today, the public inquest into that night and the events leading up to Aishwarya’s death begins.
The family’s spokesperson Suresh Rajan told the ABC the family are seeking closure from the inquest, hoping to find out exactly what happened at the hospital.
"Just so they have some closure as to exactly what happened to their daughter," he said.
"To this day they have a few suppositions but nothing definitive as to what transpired on that night."
Since Aishwarya’s death 16 months ago, two reviews and an overhaul of how emergency departments operated across the state operate have occurred.
Following the internal review of the incident, the WA Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) Board Chair Debbie Karasinki AM resigned.
CAHS CEO Aresh Anwar rejected the opportunity to retire also.
Aishwarya graded as a low priority for immediate care then made to wait two hours for treatment.
The latest inquest will likely hear from three registered nurses, including the first to see Aishwarya before she was then pulled to assist another patient who came into emergency with spinal trauma.
It is also expected the nurse who saw the young girl was having difficulty breathing and ordered her to be taken into a resuscitation room will speak.
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