‘One of the worst cases of neglect of duty of care’
The delayed treatment of a child with a ruptured appendix at an Adelaide hospital has highlighted how overloaded the service is, says retired local obstetrician Professor Warren Jones
A former senior doctor has described the treatment of a young girl whose appendix ruptured while waiting to be seen at an Adelaide hospital as “one of the worst cases of neglect of duty of care” he had ever seen.
Annabelle and David Oates took their seven-year-old daughter Audrey to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in March this year after their GP diagnosed her with acute appendicitis.
But they told reporters on Monday that she wasn’t examined by a doctor for six hours and waited another two-and-a-half hours before an emergency operation was performed.
The hospital said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the care of the child was launched several weeks ago and was still underway.
