The death of a 19-year-old Aboriginal man in a West Kimberley prison has been labelled “preventable” by the West Australian Coroner.
Miriuwung and Gajerrong man Mr Yeeda died from a heart attack at Derby Regional Prison on May 3, 2018.
Mr Yeeda had rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and was overdue to see a cardiologist for assessment prior to his sentence beginning in 2017. However, the referral from the Prison Medical Officer didn’t progress to an appointment.
If Mr Yeeda had seen a cardiologist, it’s believed he would have received urgent cardiac surgery to replace his aortic valve, a surgery the coroner found could have been lifesaving.
He concluded that the WA Department of Justice, WA Country Health Service-Kimberley and the WA Cardiology all missed chances to facilitate the treatment and survival of Mr Yeeda.
Only six weeks away from finishing his sentence at the time of his death, Mr Yeeda was “looking forward to life" his mother said.
“He wanted to do his time so he could come out and live with his dad on a station and work with horses,” said Marlene Carlton.
Ms Carlton called for better systems of liaising between prison facilities and family members.
“There was a lack of communication between the prison and me – if anything happened to him, they should’ve called me, but they didn’t,” she said.
“There should be a better system to monitor [inmates] health, and they need people in the prison who understand Indigenous culture and health [requirements].”
Miriuwung and Gajerrong man, Mr Yeeda. (Photo approved and supplied by Mr Yeeda's family.) Source: Supplied
Systemic racism ignored in recommendations
The coroner passed down three recommendations, including a collaboration between WA Department of Justice and WA Country Health Service; that the Referral Tracking System be sufficiently funded and issues addressed; and that custodial officers receive confidential information on prisoner health.
However, Principal Solicitor and Director of the National Justice Project George Newhouse, who is representing the family of Mr Yeeda, said the coroner had failed to address the contribution of systemic racism in his death.
“The coroner has failed to address the systemic racism in WA’s justice and healthcare systems which led to Mr Yeeda’s death,” he said.
“Unless culturally-appropriate healthcare delivered by Aboriginal medical services is provided to prisoners, we will see more needless deaths like that of Mr Yeeda.”
Mr Newhouse said that the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recognised the low levels of cultural awareness among prison staff, "particularly in relation to heart disease” and called for governments to implement the Commission’s recommendations.
Wiradjuri woman and Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) Board member Professor Juanita Sherwood said prison staff should have followed the national guidelines for the management of RHD.
“These guidelines are easily accessible, and prison and health staff should have known better because we all know it’s a big issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that needs to be managed well,” she said.
“The lack of treatment and follow-through reveal a negligent treatment of Mr Yeeda.”
