An elderly Aboriginal man was left to die in agony from an infected surgical injury at Royal Darwin Hospital, with staff blaming him for poor communication with his family, a Northern Territory coroner has found.
Albert Wilson, 78, died of sepsis in August 2016 after his bowel was injured during surgery for advanced colorectal cancer. The coroner, Greg Cavanagh QC, detailed multiple failures by the Top End health service, including poor communication, inadequate care, and failure to report the death.
Mr Wilson, a member of the Stolen Generations, had complained he could 'feel his body shutting down'. His family was repeatedly ignored when seeking updates, and the most junior doctor was left to explain his sudden deterioration.
The coroner found no basis for the health service's claim that Mr Wilson had instructed them not to inform his family. He said the service seemed 'more intent on defending its actions than critically analysing the facts'.
Mr Wilson's daughter wrote that over 96 hours, her father died in 'insurmountable pain', with doctors deliberately shutting the family out of consultations. The coroner described blaming the deceased as 'an insult' to him and his family.
