A newborn who died from malnutrition complications was ineligible for a Medicare-funded domiciliary review through the hospital where she was born and fell through the cracks in the health system, a coroner has found.

Siya Patel, aged 23 days when she died, took an “unconventional” healthcare pathway where a GP clinic was responsible for the first newborn review.

Her Medicare ineligibility became the key underlying issue that led to her “entirely preventable” death from hyperviscosity-related brain injury secondary to hypernatraemic dehydration, said Victorian coroner Katherine Lorenz.

“I note that babies are not automatically eligible for Medicare just by virtue of being born in Australia: they must have at least one parent who is eligible for Medicare to also be eligible,” she said in her findings.