The grieving family of an elderly couple who died from flu after being turned away from their local hospital have accused medical staff of gross negligence, insisting their loved ones would be alive today had they received proper care.
A Tragic Sequence of Events
Margaret Wing, 64, and Steven Jackson, 76, both lost their lives to Influenza A on November 16. Their deaths came just days after they sought help from Inverell Hospital in northern New South Wales. According to the family, a staff member at the hospital allegedly informed the unwell pair that there were no doctors available to see them.
As their condition worsened, Ms Wing telephoned the hospital on Friday, November 14, desperately seeking medical assistance. She was reportedly told they could not be seen until after the weekend. In a devastating turn, the couple were discovered unresponsive in their home on the Sunday evening.
A Daughter's Anguish and Search for Answers
The couple's daughter, Mandy Wing, is now demanding a full explanation and holds the hospital directly responsible for their deaths. 'I'm upset and really angry because it could have been prevented,' Ms Wing stated. 'If my mum or dad got to see a doctor, one of them, or maybe both of them, would still be alive.'
She described how her parents' illness began as a minor sniffle but rapidly escalated when they could not secure a local GP appointment. 'It turned into the flu and they were really unwell,' she recalled, noting her father's unprecedented weakness. After her mother's initial call, Ms Wing rang the hospital herself, stressing the severity of their symptoms to a nurse she described as 'a bit rude'.
'Maybe they were understaffed, maybe she was trying her best, but that's no excuse. They have a duty of care,' she said. The nurse reiterated that no doctor would be available until Monday, November 17.
Critical Information 'Not Provided'
In a painful revelation, Ms Wing said she only learned after her parents' deaths that alternative options existed. The family was never informed that the couple could have presented at the emergency department, accessed a digital doctor service, or called triple zero for an ambulance to Armidale Hospital, an hour and a half away.
After the fateful call, Ms Wing bought over-the-counter medicine before checking in by phone. Communication ceased on Sunday evening, leading to the tragic discovery by her 18-year-old son. Later, checking their phones, she found a final, heartbreaking exchange where her mother described being 'in agony'.
Nearly two months on, Ms Wing says she has made multiple complaints but has received no response from Inverell Hospital or NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. 'I just don't want this to happen to anybody else,' she pleaded, mourning the loss of two active, community-minded grandparents.
