The Internet Helped An Indigenous Man Get To Hospital After Prison Allegedly Denied Medical Care
"It should not take this level of escalation to get basic health treatment for a very sick First Nations man in jail".
An Indigenous man in one of the largest prisons in NSW has been admitted to hospital after allegations that he wasn’t being properly treated were widely shared on social media.
The lawyer of the 37-year-old inmate said on Monday that she feared there would be an avoidable death in custody at Junee Correctional Centre if his feared sepsis related to a hip replacement weren’t addressed ASAP.
“He can’t walk, is in severe pain which has worsened over the last four days, has a raging temperature, hotness at the site of the hip,” Lisa De Luca wrote online. She claimed correctional centre staff were also not giving him antibiotics at the time, refused to take him to the hospital, and turned away an ambulance she had called externally as well.
“When I told him he could have a death in custody on his hands if he doesn’t act, he said, ‘well we’ll deal with that when it happens,'” she said in the post, recounting a phone call with the prison.
A spokesperson from GEO Group Australia, the private company that manages Junee, denied the allegations, telling Junkee that the man had in fact been receiving medical attention, and that the claims were “inaccurate”. They did not clarify whether or not he was had sepsis.
“GEO can confirm a 37-year-old Aboriginal man underwent a thorough medical examination at the on-site Health Centre [on Monday] in relation to an existing, non-life-threatening medical condition,” they said. “A treatment plan was established for the man, including a referral to a specialist at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital for further assessment and treatment as required.
“Junee Correctional Centre’s Aboriginal Liaison Officer has also met with the man [Tuesday] morning to check on his welfare, and to discuss with him the plan for his ongoing health care. GEO understands these allegations will have been upsetting for the man’s family and will ensure his family members are updated on his care.”
Greens MP David Shoebridge wrote to Minister for Corrections Anthony Roberts, the Inspector of Custodial Services, and Minister for Health Brad Hazzard on Tuesday expressing his concern and demanding immediate action after widespread attention to the story on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
“It would have been better if this private prison had spent the last 48 hours providing medical care rather than PR spin,” he told Junkee. “Thankfully after the public call for help from the man’s lawyer, strong support on social media, and direction representations from my office, GEO have reversed their decision and transferred him to hospital for the care he so obviously needs.
“It should not take this level of escalation to get basic health treatment for a very sick First Nations man in jail,” said Shoebridge.
BREAKING Thanks to all who joined us in raising concerns & demanding action. We’ve just had confirmation he is now admitted to hospital & getting the treatment so obviously needed. Private jails, Aboriginal inmates, institutional indifference. There’s so much wrong with this case
— David Shoebridge (@ShoebridgeMLC) December 14, 2021
“After 20 hours of fighting, he’s finally in hospital,” De Luca told Junkee. But despite the eventual action, the concern is far from over. “The hospital won’t tell me – or his next of kin – anything, other than ‘he’s stable’,” she said.
Last month, an inquest into the 2015 death of a 25-year-old Indigenous man at Junee Correctional Centre was found to be due to “suboptimal medical care” related to organ failure. More broadly, it’s been recognised that members of the prison workforce across the country require more cultural competence training, especially in relation to Indigenous health care.
The NSW Inspector of Custodial Services handed down a report in March that was highly critical of the state’s substandard prison health care system , particularly for First Nations inmates — making 50 recommendations for change and improvement.
“This case highlights why First Nations people feel so unsafe in jails and the particular dangers associated with private prisons and private health care,” said Shoebridge.
Junkee has reached out to Corrective Services NSW.
Feature Image: The Feed/YouTube