DARWIN, AUSTRALIA – An ongoing inquest has brought to light a series of oversights and “missed opportunities” in the health facilities of Darwin’s maximum security Holtze prison following the death of a 37-year-old Indigenous man in 2022. Mr. Dooley, a Maiyali man from the small Northern Territory community of Eva Valley, died in palliative care at Royal Darwin Hospital after suffering a heart attack while serving a prison sentence for assaulting his former partner. The inquest has revealed lapses in Mr. Dooley’s medical care at the prison, raising concerns about deficient communication between prison officers, medical staff, and prisoners with complex health needs, as well as a lack of Aboriginal liaison officers within prisons.
At the coronial inquest, it was disclosed that Mr. Dooley had been unmedicated for high cholesterol and a high cardiac risk for several months before being admitted to the prison clinic with dizziness and dangerously low blood pressure. His nephew, Bartholomas Dooley, who was also in custody at the time, informed prison officers about Mr. Dooley’s deteriorating health, yet he was not provided with adequate medical attention in a timely manner.
Furthermore, the inquest heard that when Mr. Dooley’s blood pressure dropped to a critical level, the response was not immediate hospitalization, as recommended by an independent cardiologist’s report. Instead, he was merely placed on a drip, exacerbating the situation until an ambulance was finally called when Mr. Dooley was in a state of distress.
The inquest also uncovered concerning delays in providing Mr. Dooley with medication to reduce his cholesterol, despite a high cardiovascular risk being recorded during his initial health screening upon entering prison. These failures in medical care have drawn criticism from medical experts, with a cardiologist stating that Mr. Dooley’s death could have been prevented had he received appropriate and timely medical intervention.
In addition to the medical shortcomings, the inquest highlighted the lack of Aboriginal interpreters within the prison system, which may have hindered communication about Mr. Dooley’s condition, potentially contributing to the inadequate medical care he received. These revelations reinforce the urgent need for improvements in the communication, medical care, and cultural sensitivity within the prison healthcare system to ensure the well-being of all prisoners, particularly those with complex health needs.