A mix-up at an outback morgue has led to a First Nations family burying an empty coffin instead of what they thought was the body of a widely-respected Gangalidda elder.
Key points:
- Police exhumed the grave site on Tuesday after the elder’s body was found at the morgue
- A hospital and health service has met with families and issued an apology
- Residents say change is needed to improve hospital services in Doomadgee
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the names and images of people who have died.
Residents of north-west Queensland community Doomadgee believed they were attending the burial of the elder as his coffin was lowered into a grave at the local cemetery on Wednesday last week.
But his body was later found at the Doomadgee Hospital morgue run by the North West Hospital Health Service (NWHHS).
Police confirmed to ABC North West that they assisted the Doomadgee Shire Council in exhuming the grave on Tuesday morning.
Gangalidda man Murrandoo Yanner, who was given permission to speak on behalf of the elder’s family, claimed the mistake was the latest example of a history of the hospital failing residents.
“The family who have all come and gone will now have to come back for another funeral … people are outraged and rightly so,” he said.
“We’re humans and we deserve to be treated as such.”
In a statement, NWHHS board chair Cheryl Vardon apologised to family members.
“Insufficient processes at the mortuary in Doomadgee led to the burial of an empty casket while the body remained at the mortuary,” she said.
“This is unacceptable and the hospital and health service apologises for this error and acknowledges the further distress it has caused the family of the deceased.
She said the service met with the dead man’s family to apologise and was supporting them.
‘No faith’ in hospital
The Doomadgee hospital has a history of failing its residents when it comes to treating its First Nations patients.
Last year, a Four Corners report shed a light on three Doomadgee women, known as Kaya, Betty, and Ms Sandy, who died of the preventable heart condition rheumatic heart disease.
An inquest triggered by the report found that the NWHHS and associated services failed to provide adequate care to the women.
Mr Yanner claimed the inquest and the 19 recommendations handed down had not brought about meaningful change.
He said residents avoided the hospital even if they were in need of care.
“The hospital seems like a good place to go if you want to die, not if you want to be cared for,” he said.
“It’s outrageous, and even more so off the back of preventable deaths, people just have no faith in Queensland Health.”
He said the hospital urgently needed “genuine change” to provide “services that actually result in the care of the community.”
“We are calling for drastic change…how long is this standard going to continue?” Mr Yanner said.
Posted , updated
