The family of a seven-year-old girl who died of sepsis after waiting almost two hours to be admitted to Perth Children's Hospital has already received an ex gratia payment, according to Premier Mark McGowan, but could receive more.
WA's deputy coroner handed down her findings last Friday into Aishwarya Aswath's death in the hospital's emergency department in April 2021.
Her family had been seeking a $5 million ex gratia payment, something they had said would go towards a foundation named in Aishwarya's honour to improve health services in Western Australia.
Speaking on ABC Radio Perth this morning, Premier Mark McGowan said the family had already received money from the government.
"We've already been supporting the family financially, so that's something that's already occurred," he said.
"We'll examine what more we can do, but that's something that's already happened."
Mr McGowan described the payment as "ex gratia" but would not disclose the amount paid.
"I won't go into exact details … obviously it's a very sensitive matter and it's a tragic situation, and they're a family that have been through a lot of grief and pain, so we provided some support, I think it was last year," he said.
"You don't always make these things public. It's a very personal matter.
"It's a family that lost a child and going through a lot of pain and suffering and a lot of grief, but you asked me the question so I answered it."
At a media conference later in the morning, Mr McGowan said he would "just urge sensitivity" when asked for more detail on the payment.
"There's a family that lost a child. I'd just urge you to be a little bit sensitive about these matters, and obviously you saw their grief and you read about their grief in the coroner's inquiry report," he told reporters.
Mr McGowan said the payment was made last year, but said he did not recall if it was made before or after the coronial inquest was held.
When asked if the government would consider further ex gratia payments, Mr McGowan replied "perhaps".
'We just want the system to improve'
The Premier was also asked about confusion over whether Perth Children's Hospital had a dedicated resuscitation team.
Creating that team was a recommendation of the deputy coroner, after one of the nurses who assessed Aishwarya on the night she died told the inquest she had to stop what she was doing, leaving Aishwarya unattended, to respond to a resuscitation.
On Friday, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson claimed a separate resuscitation team – over and above the emergency department's usual nursing complement – was already in place.
But on Monday Ms Sanderson was forced to admit there are times where the team forms part of the base number of staff, saying there had been a breakdown of communication between the hospital and her.
"We were advised that the dedicated resuscitation team was in place but whilst there is a resuscitation team, at various points in time it has not been dedicated, so that means it hasn't been above roster," Mr McGowan said on Tuesday.
"We were given advice from people at the hospital that it was in place.
"It should have been in place and we've sent a message back to the hospital it needs to be in place from this point forward."
The Premier also rejected calls from Aishwarya's father for the Director-General of WA Health, David Russell-Weisz, to be replaced.
"We don't want to point the finger at individuals or people across the system, we just want the system to improve," he said.
Opposition wants recommendations adopted
WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam is calling for Ms Sanderson to "ensure the recommendations are fully implemented".
"The minister was not aware that the commitment was a dedicated resuscitation team and then tried to explain that a supernumerary resuscitation team was in place when it wasn't," she said.
"Why didn't the minister ensure that this critical recommendation was implemented?"
Ms Mettam said she wasn't aware of any payments made to the family and while she wants the government to take the issues seriously, she stopped short of asking the premier to reveal the details of an ex gratia payment.
"I know there are a lot of sensitivities around such payments," she added.
"But I think the public would expect that some ex gratia payments will be made."
In a statement, lawyers for Aishwarya's family declined to comment on the payment.
"As the premier has stated, these matters are confidential between the WA government and Aishwarya's family," lawyer Noor Blumer said.
