Dying patients left alone due to hospital Covid restrictions

Grieving families are demanding hospital visitation limits be abolished after losing their precious last moments with loved ones.

The families of sick patients left to die alone in hospital because of “inhumane” Covid-19 restrictions are urging the government to abolish rules preventing them from seeing their loved ones.

Strict rules apply under current visitation guidelines, which Health Minister Brad Hazzard has asked to be reviewed. Families have been forced to apply for visitation exemptions to see their dying relatives, with multiple people saying the exemption system has led to some patients dying alone.

Mr Hazzard was forced to apologise at the weekend to a woman who was prevented from seeing her dying mother while exemption paperwork was processed.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has requested the exemption system be reviewed. Picture: Gaye Gerard

This is despite case numbers falling to their lowest level since Christmas and Covid-19 ICU admissions declining by the day contrary to earlier predictions the health system would be overwhelmed by the Omicron wave.

The Health Minister has now tasked NSW Health with issuing new guidelines for hospitals balancing care and compassion with keeping patients and staff safe.

The new guidelines will provide more emphasis on enabling visits and removing hurdles.

Joanna La Macchia, 43, was denied the right to visit her dying father Antonio Coluccio, 71, after he was admitted to Royal Prince Alfred with Covid-19 in early January.

Joanna La Macchia’s late father Antonio Coluccio was admitted to RPA with a chest infection, but caught Covid in hospital and died from complications. Picture: Toby Zerna

She begged to see him but was not allowed to despite being fully vaccinated.

“I was crying hysterically because I wasn’t able to see him,” she said.

While her mother was allowed to see Antonio, she had to leave the room after an hour and was told she would have to reapply for another exemption the next day, however, he died before they could do so.

“They said she couldn’t stay, it wasn’t an option. We were told we would have to reapply for a visit again tomorrow. We didn’t want to leave that night because we knew he didn’t have much longer.”

She told 2GB’s Ben Fordham the entire process of getting approval for the exemption took seven hours.

“He could’ve died in that time, it didn’t feel like a priority at the time and we knew he was about to die,” she said.

“We are totally distraught. We have to live with the fact he died alone and scared. People should hang their heads in shame.”

Ms La Macchia said it is unacceptable the government has opened stadiums and concerts but is allowing some patients to die alone.

“My father died with Covid so I understand it’s so important everyone be safe and there be some sort of restrictions in place but not letting people see their loved ones, it’s not right,” she said.

Even fully vaccinated visitors have been prevented from seeing loved ones. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Kay Martin missed her sister Judith Dally’s last moments at the Wolper Jewish Hospital in Woollahra on January 23, 2022, because she was only allowed to visit for one hour a day, despite being fully vaccinated and testing negative to Covid.

“I would love to have been with her when she passed,” she said.

Ms Dally’s other relatives and close friends were also not allowed to say goodbye to her before she passed following a long battle with lung cancer.

Ms Martin believes the visitation rules should be abolished given the state’s high vaccination rate, saying that it’s something that Ms Dally, a high-profile voluntary assisted dying campaigner, would have wanted.

“It’s appalling and really inhumane. People who are really ill would love to have their friends around and would just hold their hand and say ‘I love you,’” she said.

Kay Martin lost her sister Judith Daley and wasn’t permitted to be there when she died. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Professor of Infectious Diseases at ANU Medical School, Peter Collignon, says the exemption system should be scrapped in favour of a more common sense approach because of the declining case numbers.

“If someone is in hospital dying and they have, say a single visitor at a time, vaccinated and wearing a mask, their risk of giving Covid to anyone is very small and in my view we have to be willing to take that risk given the emotional and social impact of preventing people from seeing their loved one,” he said.

He believes fully vaccinated and negative-tested family and friends who wear a mask should automatically be able to visit the dying without the need for unnecessary paperwork.

Epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore agreed the government should ease the visitation restrictions.

“I think the reduction in cases, the enormous benefits of visitors being able to see patients outweigh any very small risk. I think the environment is right to change the rules,” he said.

The new guidelines were still being finalised on Tuesday night.