Anthony Rubuntja’s final moments at core of Alice Springs death in care coronial inquest

The NT coroner will investigate the death in care of a 45-year-old Alice Springs man, who walked out of a hospital and disappeared.

Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage heard 45-year-old Anthony Rubuntja was taken to Alice Springs hospital by police on November 15. Picture: Alex Treacy

An Alice Springs man believed to be in the grips of a mental health crisis walked out of the Central Australian hospital against medical advice.

Hours later 45-year-old Anthony Rubuntja passed away, but it took four days for his body to be found.

On Wednesday, Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage heard this was the second Indigenous death in care connected to Alice Springs Hospital in just seven days in November, as she was also conducting another mandatory coronial inquest for a woman who passed on November 22.

In the first directions hearing into Mr Rubuntja’s passing, Ms Armitage heard he was taken to Alice Springs hospital by police on November 15.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Chrissy McConnel, said NT Police checked in on Mr Rubuntja, who had a history of schizophrenia, after his worried Larapinta neighbours called triple-0.

Ms McConnel said the 45-year-old was then taken into custody to the hospital due to concerns about his welfare. 

She said Mr Rubuntja was treated for his injuries and referred for a psychiatric assessment, but soon “absconded”. 

It is believed he passed away soon after leaving the hospital, but it would be four days until his body was located.

She said the inquest would look at what notifications the hospital made to police and his next of kin once he left, and what efforts were made to find the 45-year-old.

The latest NT Health annual report acknowledged it had failed to reduce the number of Aboriginal patients discharged against medical advice, with 11 per cent of Indigenous patients leaving the hospital too early.

The health service has consistently failed to meet this key performance indicator, with Darwin hospital only meeting its target once in the past seven years.

Alice Springs Hospital has never met its target of less than 8.5 per cent of Indigenous patients leaving against medical advice.

According to the latest Productivity Commission data, 10,893 Territorian patients did not wait around in the emergency department, with 1765 people leaving “at their own risk” against explicit medical advice in 2021-22.

Another 4032 patients left or were discharged against medical advice.

Since 2005 there have been three coronial inquests after Territory patients died after “absconding” from the hospital — one was only 14 years old.