Family of five-year-old Rozalia Spadafora left in the dark after the death in Canberra Hospital

A devastated family are looking for answers as to how their five-year-old daughter died while waiting for medical transport in a Canberra hospital. 

Rozalia Spadafora’s death on July 5 at Canberra Hospital has been referred to the ACT Coroner who will decide if an inquest is needed.

On learning the news Rozalia’s family released a statement expressing their grief and frustration.

Rozalia Spadafora’s family are still seeking answers over how the five-year-old died in hospital earlier this year

‘We lost our daughter at Canberra Hospital. No one helped her until it was too late. No one told us what was happening before it was too late,’ the family said.

‘No one explained to us how she died. My family has no answers and we are broken. This was an entirely avoidable incident with consequences that will now last a lifetime.’

Rozalia’s mother Katrina Spadafora has given a harrowing account of the last two day’s of her daughter’s life, which saw the girl shuttled between wards and tests while medical staff insisted her condition was not life-threatening.

Rozalia was shuffled from ward to ward at Canberra Hospital while staff told her family her condition was not life-threatening

Rozalia was shuffled from ward to ward at Canberra Hospital while staff told her family her condition was not life-threatening

Rozalia was taken to Canberra Hospital at around 7pm on July 4, which was her fifth birthday, after doctors recommended blood tests. 

She had displayed mild flu-like symptoms and some face swelling in the days preceding but tested negative for Covid-19 and had been given antibiotics.

Ms Spadafora said that by the morning of her birthday the preschooler’s complexion had turned sickly pale and she was too lethargic to even open presents, so doctors recommended she get blood tests.  

Ms Spadafora and Rozalia had to wait until about 3am in Canberra Hospital emergency department until nurses took a sample of the little girl’s blood.

They came back an hour later to get more saying the sample wasn’t big enough.

Rozalia was taken to Canberra Hospital for blood tests on the evening of her fifth birthday

Rozalia was taken to Canberra Hospital for blood tests on the evening of her fifth birthday

Two hours later Rozalia was taken to the intensive care unit, where she was put on an an intravenous drip. 

At about 8am a nurse told the family Rozalia had Influenza A and she was moved to the paediatric area of the emergency department.

Ms Spadafora was also told Rozalia had an enlarged liver and would likely need to stay in hospital for several days.

At about midday on July 5, Ms Spadadora said she was told Rozalia had inflamed muscles around her heart.

Rozalia was moved to a paediatric ward but the family were informed that no cardiac paediatrician was available in the ACT and the girl would need to be flown to Sydney for treatment.

‘I asked if this was life-threatening — and I was told ‘no’,’ Ms Rozalia told the ABC.

She said Rozalia was moved back to intensive care and seen by several doctors over the next few hours as Rozalia’s father was also allowed to visit.

Hospital staff told the family a helicopter was on its way from Sydney.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said that investigations into  Rozalia's death are underway

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said that investigations into  Rozalia’s death are underway

However, at around 7pm Ms Spadafora said they were told the helicopter couldn’t land at the hospital because of an issue with the tarmac and had been diverted to Canberra Airport.

The team of people who were assembled to transport Rozalia to the airport struggled to apply monitoring equipment to the increasingly distressed girl.

There were discussions about sedating Rozalia. 

‘I started crying,’ Ms Spadafora said.

‘We didn’t know what to do.’

Rozalia then started to spasm.

She was rushed from the room and given CPR. 

The family waited anxiously for an hour before a doctor told them Rozalia had died.

Ms Spadafora said she was told Rozalia died of a cardiac arrest caused by myocarditis.

Police arrived at the hospital a few hours later and took statements from the family.

Ms Spadafora told the ABC she was ‘disgusted’ by the way the hospital treated the family.

She said the family heard nothing from the hospital after the tragedy until Tuesday evening when a doctor sent them a text with condolences but telling them Rozalia’s death would be the subject of a news report.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she had briefed on the death, as had Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry, who was acting health minister at the time.

‘The death of any child is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family at this really, really difficult time,’ Ms Stephen-Smith told The Canberra Times.

‘I also want to assure people that the staff who were involved in this are receiving support and the hospital is very conscious that those staff receive the debriefing and support that they require.

 ‘I can’t speak to any of the details of it because of the privacy considerations but also the investigations that are underway.’

ACT Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry was acting health minister at the time of Rozalia's death

ACT Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry was acting health minister at the time of Rozalia’s death

Opposition health spokeswoman Leanne Castley met with the family on Wednesday.

‘This family is heartbroken — this is truly tragic and I was glad to see that there will be a coronial investigation,’ Ms Castley said.

‘I look forward to seeing what happens there but at the end of the day there is a family completely devastated and their little five-year-old girl is not at home right now.’

A Canberra Health Services spokesperson said its ‘thoughts were with the family at this difficult time’. 

‘We are also ensuring that team members who were involved in the child’s care are receiving support,’ the spokeperson said, adding they could provide no further comment.

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