Aishwarya’s Care: Dad speaks about his relief that daughter’s death will prompt health care changes

The father of little Aishwarya Aswath — whose death at Perth Children’s Hospital is set to change health care across WA — has spoken of his relief at his daughter’s bittersweet legacy. As revealed in The Sunday Times, WA Health Minister Roger Cook has committed to a program called Aishwarya’s Care, which will make parents a critical part of the assessment of seriously sick kids. The program was discussed with Aishwarya’s parents, Aswath Chavittupara and Prasitha Sasidharan, during a meeting at their home last Friday. Mr Chavittupara said that meeting, and the changes to the health system which will follow, was a comfort to his family. “This model of care should give more rights to the concerned parents, and not just wait for the triage process,” Mr Chavittupara said “Parents know their kids better. If they are really worried they can use this system — Aishwarya’s Care — and they should get the care they need.” The West Australian understands Aishwarya’s Care will resemble a similar model adopted in Queensland after an eerily similar tragedy in 2007. Two year-old Ryan Saunders died at Rockhampton Base Hospital after doctors initially diagnosed mumps — rather than the streptococcal infection, which then led to toxic shock syndrome. Ryan’s parents said their pleas for help at the hospital were ignored, and a coroner subsequently found that “those treating him failed to detect and respond to the infection in a sufficiently timely manner”. Ryan’s Rule, which was adopted in 2013, allows patients or parents to call a special hotline or demand to see a manager to order an instant review of the medical treatment given by doctors if a loved one’s condition isn’t improving. Similar systems exist in NSW and the ACT. Aishwarya’s family were told by the health minister they would be directly involved in the development of the system here, which will become part of triage assessments done at all WA hospitals with paediatric services. “When my daughter was young she said she always wanted to become a teacher, and she wanted to be called Miss AC. Aishwarya’s Care will stand for that,” Mr Chavittupara said. That consultation will continue this week, even as an external inquiry into Aishwarya’s death is conducted, and the State Coroner prepares for a public inquest. That hearing will not happen for at least 12 months, despite Premier Mark McGowan saying he was working with the coroner and Attorney-General John Quigley to find out exactly what happened. AMA President Andrew Miller said a similar rule already applies on wards, but this would extend a parent’s right to the waiting room, where Aishwarya and her desperate parents spent two hours looking for treatment. And he also pointed that Mr Cook had called for such a change five years ago, after the death of seven-month-old Malakai Matui Paraone — who doctors first thought had a pulled elbow, or was teething, but in fact had sepsis. “It is unfortunate it has taken this amount of time, and it is one of the reasons why we are saying a fresh pair of eyes on this portfolio would be a good idea,” Dr Miller said. “This will not help other people who are waiting in ambulances in other emergency departments, and it should not just apply paediatric patients. We have far too many people who need escalated care quickly. “The question is why are they waiting so long ... why don’t we have the staff already in the triage areas in all hospitals? And why don’t we have enough staff that they are seen in a timely manner in any event.”