Three-year-old Aliyah Yugovich was mistakenly given an anti-epileptic drug before she died in a Perth hospital.
The exact reason for the medication’s distribution to the child is still unclear. She died in July after contracting the flu, and her parents have expressed their anger at learning that their daughter was given an unprescribed medicine.
The cause of Aliyah’s death has not yet been determined, despite the preliminary report revealing the details. The Health Department is also conducting a review.
According to her mother, Yugovich took her to the hospital because she was trusting them.
The drug Topiramate is used to treat migraines and prevent seizures in people who have epilepsy.
She did not have any of these conditions. Her mother, who is distraught at her daughter’s death, wants to know what happened.
Aliyah underwent a tonsillectomy on June 28 at St. John of God Murdoch. Three days later, she fell ill and was sent to the Perth Children’s Hospital.
After being discharged, Aliyah spent two nights in the hospital. The following day, she started coughing up blood and was rushed to the St. John of God Hospital.
She was later declared dead. It is believed that the three hospitals where she was taken did not have records of the medication being given to her.
The coroner also might not be able to determine where the error occurred.
Although the hospitals have been asked to provide their statements regarding the incident, they are refusing to do so while the investigations are ongoing.
The independent board that is investigating the case was not informed about the mistake until the Yugovich family informed them.
Mr Yugovich is frustrated that the hospitals are not sharing information related to the incident with the SAC-1 team, which is composed of experts from various fields.
He wants the information to be shared so that they can prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.
According to Aliyah’s medical file, her parents were not notified about the mistake, as they were resting at that time. The family is also concerned about the lack of support services for parents in WA who lost a child.
They said that they only received pamphlets from a government social worker.