A toddler with a deadly condition was turned away from the hospital three times before finally getting treatment at a Wollongong hospital, according to his mother.
Channel 9 News reports that three-year-old Hamza is currently in a critical condition. His mother, Sheima Morsi eventually called an ambulance after he was refused treatment three times and her son stopped breathing after having a seizure.
When he was brought to hospital and admitted to emergency, he was placed on life support, then flown to Sydney Children’s Hospital. He was then diagnosed with sepsis, an infection that had spread throughout his body.
“His whole body was just pale white,” Ms Morsi told 9NEWS. “I was really desperate to see someone. My son was in my hands, he was just all floppy.”
Ms Morsi was told, “If you weren’t persistent that day, your son would have died that night”.
She told 9 News that she felt horrible about how long it had taken to get him treatment.
“Kids at this age can’t talk, so we’re responsible for them,” she said.
“I felt like I’ve let him down by not (being) able to get my voice heard.”
News.com.au reached out to Wollongong Hospital for a statement about the incident, and a spokeswoman replied with the following:
“Wollongong Hospital takes seriously any concerns raised by patients or their families.
“The hospital is carrying out an investigation into the circumstances of this particular case and will continue to liaise directly with the family.”
Hamza is showing some signs of improvement and is expected to stay in hospital over the coming weeks.
