This week lawyers from the National Justice Project (NJP) will visit Tumut to interview local Aboriginal people about their experiences with Tumut Hospital amid growing allegations of institutional racism.
“We are here to look for answers about the death of our client,” said NJP Principal Solicitor George Newhouse.
“But there’s also a broader issue at stake. We believe that across Australia, institutionalised racism may be harming Aboriginal people and their concerns are often disregarded or dismissed. We want to find out if our client’s death was an anomaly, or a symptom of a deeper, more systemic problem.”
“Ms W [we are not using her full name out of respect] was a pregnant 27 year-old Wiradjuri woman. She was sick and had to attend Tumut Hospital on a number of occasions. Her family believes that some staff didn’t take her concerns seriously. On her last day alive, she presented to the Emergency Department of Tumut Hospital yet again. The medical professionals gave her paracetamol and sent her home. She was dead within 12 hours.”
“The Family of Ms W believes that her death was preventable and we want to know if others have complaints about their treatment at the Hospital as well” said Newhouse.
Jane Salmon
