A two-week-old baby died in an Australian jail after staff supposedly refused to provide help because she was not an inmate. The tragedy happened in August last year.
Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a unit dedicated to mother and children in Victoria, Australia, has been alleged to have not provided required medical assistance to a two-week-old baby while her mother kept screaming for help. The infant was left unconscious for about 30 minutes at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, after which she lost her life. A fellow inmate rushed to attempt CPR and, a nurse also arrived, but it was too late. The allegation has been made about the hospital staff that had apparently refused to attend to the baby because she “was not an inmate."
The mum, reportedly, kept screaming for help when the baby went motionless, but none came to their rescue. The police will provide complete detail of the incident. The unit is part of a maximum-security jail that allows children to live with their mums until they are six, and it is the habitat of various high-profile prisoners. The Corrections Victoria is solely available for the unit and says that housing for mum and child “meets acceptable community standards for the safe and secure housing of children and adequately meets the nutritional, developmental and health needs of the child", adding that a nurse regularly visits to keep in check with the health of the children.
After the incident, other inmates are worried about how future of the unit, and the mishaps migth affect kids. A source told the Daily Mail Australia, “What really frightens me is that there is going to be more infants coming in." "If nothing changes, if basic first aid isn't administered or someone is calling up at 2am and their baby has got an ear ache that could burst or something, can't see the prison doctor for days on end, it's only a matter of time before another baby dies," he continued. The Department of Justice and Community Safety spokeswomen refused to answer any question regarding this and said, “Victoria Police was called to investigate and provide a report for the Coroner."
Daily Mail Australia has also been told that there is no monitoring of development issues such as growth or speech conditions. And the kids’ fathers take their children out of the prison in such cases. The inmates are paid $42 a week to buy the week's food and supplies, and for any additional requirements for their babies must be approved it by the warden.
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While the diet provided is restricted, the central chaos is caused when the babies are unwell. "When a baby is not feeling well in the middle of the night, they don't have access to medication," revealed a source. Amidst all the allegations, we can hope a fair decision and a sooner mending of the loopholes.