Monash Health admits failures in Amrita Lanka's death as coronial inquest begins

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The mother of eight-year-old Amrita Lanka, who died while being treated at Monash Children's hospital In April 2022, has given evidence in the coronial investigation into her death.

Transcript

00:00Amrita Lanka was admitted to the hospital about two-and-a-half years ago with severe

00:06stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, but within about 24 hours she died, and her parents

00:12have since alleged that the health service missed several warning signs about their daughter's

00:16rapidly deteriorating condition.

00:18An autopsy would reveal she died of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and the

00:23Victorian coroner is now probing the April 2022 death, including whether it was preventable.

00:29The first day of the inquest began with several concessions from the health service, whose

00:33lawyer told the court,

00:34Monash Health accepts that there was a failure to appreciate the rapidly progressive nature

00:39of this condition and the need for timely treatment.

00:42It further accepts that Amrita's blood pressure should have been monitored more frequently

00:46and that the results of her blood tests and investigations required that her care be quickly

00:50escalated.

00:52The service said it has since put in recommendations to assist staff recognising what it said was

00:56an extremely rare but devastating condition.

00:59Amrita's mother, Satya Tharupareddy, wept as she recounted the days leading up to her

01:03daughter's death, painting a picture of a health service that failed to take her daughter's

01:07condition seriously.

01:09She said several of her calls for assistance at the hospital went ignored, health staff

01:14at one point suggested her daughter's difficulty breathing was the result of an empty stomach,

01:19and staff suggested she be discharged in the hours before she died.

01:23In a statement, her parents said we love and miss our beautiful daughter Amrita every

01:27day.

01:28Her death has destroyed our lives.

01:29The inquest is expected to hear from several health staff as it continues for up to five

01:33days.

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