Death inquest: Sachintha Nandula Battagodage and Hemant Chadha died after repeated visits to Adelaide hospitals

A paramedic’s “northern bludgers” Facebook comment has come to light after he allegedly told a man who died from pneumonia that he had “man flu”.

A paramedic’s “derogatory” Facebook comment was exposed, as he denies telling a man before he died from pneumonia people from the north call ambulances for no reason.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, Paul Vinar, a paramedic for South Australian ambulance service denied accusing Hemant Chadha of being naughty for seeking medical attention days before his death.

However, a Facebook comment was brought to light of Mr Vinar commenting “northern bludgers” on a SAPOL crime post months after Mr Chadha’s death.

Mr Chadha’s wife, Prabhleen Chadha previously told the court her husband was allegedly treated poorly by Mr Vinar on two occasions. Mr Vinar denied these allegations in his evidence.

An inquest has heard Mr Chadha and Sachintha Nandula Battagodage – who had serious symptoms dismissed by Adelaide hospitals – would have likely lived if their pleas for help weren’t ignored.

Paramedic Paul Vinar gave evidence denying he made comments about Mr Chadha being “naughty” for seeking medical attention. Photo: Facebook

Opening the inquest into Mr Battagodage and Mr Chadha’s deaths last month, counsel assisting the coroner Emma Roper said Mr Chadha, 38, began to experience abdominal pain, a fever and cough in early April 2020.

Inquest into Sachintha Nandula Battagodage's death. Photo: GoFundMe

On April 17, 2020, Mr Chadha was taken by ambulance to the Royal Adelaide Emergency Department and was given antibiotics after he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

On April 20, an ambulance was called for Mr Chadha after he saw a GP at Hollywood Plaza.

Mrs Chadha told the court when the two ambulance officers arrived, and she requested a wheelchair, the “very rude” Mr Vinar allegedly responded “How did he reach here, did he crawl?”

Mr Vinar said he didn’t recall making the comment about Mr Chadha crawling and that he had no reason to be rude.

On April 21, Mrs Chadha called for an ambulance after becoming very concerned about her husband’s condition, with the same officers attending again.

Mrs Chadha told the court Mr Vinar allegedly said her husband just had the “man flu”, he should “man up” and asked “why is he causing all this drama?”.

“Then he turned to him and then he also said ‘naughty naughty, you are naughty’,” she said.

However, Mr Vinar denied using the words besides man flu and said that term was the first suggested by the Chadha’s neighbour.

During cross examination by Ms Roper, Mr Vinar said using man flu to describe Mr Chadha’s symptoms was “inappropriate in hindsight” but it was a more simplified term of explaining pneumonia to them.

Mr Chadha was eventually taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital, prescribed anti anxiety medication and discharged.

Mr Chadha was pronounced dead at 5.04am on April 22, with his cause of death found at post-mortem to be acute on chronic pneumonia.

The court heard further investigation and intervention probably would have prevented Mr Chadha’s death.

On Tuesday, the court heard Mrs Chadha received a letter from SA ambulance service that the behaviours displayed did not meet their high standards and Mr Vinar would be undertaking cultural awareness and code of ethics training.

However, Mr Vinar said he disputed completing the training as he had previously completed them.

The court heard Mrs Chadha alleged Mr Vinar said people “out her way” (northern suburbs) call ambulances all the time for no reason, which he denied saying.

Ms Roper then asked Mr Vinar if he had ever used the term “northern bludgers”, which Mr Vinar replied he hadn’t.

Ms Roper then produced evidence of Mr Vinar’s Facebook profile commenting “northern bludgers” in June 2020 on a SAPOL post about a kidnapping incident.

She asked Mr Vinar whether he had a particular view on people living in the northern suburbs being a drain on the state’s public resources.

“Not really, everyone’s got their individual merits,” he replied.

“What might be the merits of a northern bludger be?” Ms Roper asked, to which Mr Vinar replied he didn’t really know but his comment appeared to be derogatory.

The inquest, before Deputy State Coroner Ian White, continues.

Originally published as Death inquest: Sachintha Nandula Battagodage and Hemant Chadha died after repeated visits to Adelaide hospitals