A coroner’s report delivered a heartbreaking finding: the death of 21-month-old Sandipan Dhar was “probably preventable” after the Joondalup Health Campus emergency department failed to perform a requested blood test, which could have identified a curable blood cancer.

Press PLAY to hear from Sandipan’s father

6PR reporter Chelsea Bowden explains that when the family spoke today, the toddler’s father, Sanjoy Dhar, maintained that neither the doctors nor the hospital have taken accountability.

The father said: “If you made a mistake, that’s a different story, but if it’s negligence, then yes, you should be penalised.”

Community Advocate Suresh Rajan spoke to 6PR Mornings host Simon Beaumont about the findings, expressing his disbelief over the systemic failures he has consistently encountered in his 43 cases.

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Rajan believes staff shortages are impacting the level of care given.

“The overriding consideration in almost all of those cases is the fact that the emergency department doctor or whoever is not listening to the person who’s in front of them,” he said.