A man went into an induced coma after not receiving adequate medical attention while being in hotel quarantine in Perth, Australia. Authorities have launched an investigation to assess how the man went into an induced coma in intensive care even though his wife called for medical support 12 hours prior to that state. The man had started displaying serious COVID-19 symptoms on April 2 and required medical attention.
The couple had returned from Rome, Italy before being quarantined in Crown Promenade, Perth. Ken Watson and his wife, Kathleen were in the Costa Luminosa cruise ship before returning to Australia. Ken Watson suffers from diabetes and the 71-year-old man had been struggling due to the condition when he was in Italy.
The investigations follow the allegation that the man was not given proper medical attention despite his wife and children asking for help. The West Australian Government said that the man's case was "less than optimal" and the lack of medical attention was due to "communication gap." Several have been struggling with the lack of proper medical care in Australia. The state government said that they were looking into the situation.
The Hotel turned away the health care workers
Kathleen Watson had called for the onsite doctor around 9 AM local time on April 1. Watson's daughter Belle told the media that the mother had repeatedly called for the doctor but help never came. At around 3 PM Kathleen called Belle asking for help and said that she had fainted while Ken's health was rapidly deteriorating. The New South Wales couple then had to contact the ambulance for help. Belle told Guardian Australia that she tried calling the doctor overseeing the hotel but had to eventually call for the ambulance.
According to a spokesperson from the St John Ambulance, the hotel turned away the help when they arrived at the hotel. The family said that they continued to call for help in the various hotlines and other facilities to seek immediate care as the couple's health deteriorated. After 12 hours of initially seeking help Ken and Kathleen was collected in an ambulance around 8 PM on April 1. Fifteen minutes after reaching the Royal Perth Hospital, Ken was placed on life support.
Later Belle was called to say that her father is being put into a medically induced coma and she needs to talk to her father immediately. The daughter also told that her father might be in a coma for months and might not even recover. Kathleen is still in the hospital because of pneumonia.
Several similar situations
Many people who are under quarantine has said that they could not access health care in the country. People in dire situations had to beg for medical attention while being in quarantine in the hotel. There is a general perception that the people quarantined in the hotels are usually travellers who didn't listen to the government protocols. But, there are non-resident returnees and other insurance travellers who had to take an on-call job or had to return for personal matters.
The people who are quarantined in the hotels are not given proper instructions as to when the quarantine would end or when they can leave. There have been around 5,990 cases in Australia with 50 deaths so far.
