Institutional racism contributed to deaths of three Indigenous women, Queensland coroner finds

Deaths of the three Doomadgee residents were caused by complications due to rheumatic heart disease

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A Queensland coroner has ruled institutional racism and a lack of cultural competency from health services contributed to the deaths of three Aboriginal women in the remote Indigenous community of Doomadgee, in northwest Queensland.

On Friday in Cairns, coroner Nerida Wilson said the deaths of Doomadgee residents Adele Sandy in 2019, aged 18, Yvette Booth in 2020, aged 17, and Shakaya George in 2020, aged 27, were caused by complications due to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), and with proper and adequate care could have been avoided.

No formalised RHD screening program

Faults with the Band-Aid solutions" of fly-in-fly-out models of services

Challenges retaining staff who are adequately trained in cultural competency

Overworked staff who at times work 24-hour shifts

A need to better inform the community of the dangers of RHD

Non-identification and treatment of skin sores and sore throats

A lack of access to nutritional food

A lack of access to health hardware such as laundry facilities

Overcrowding and a lack of adequate housing

A general mistrust of government in the community.

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