The NSW coroner will establish an inquest into the death of a First Nations man amid claims he was "denied a diagnosis" at a hospital in the state's west.
Images have been used with the permission of the family.
Kamilaroi-Dunghutti man Ricky "Dougie" Hampson Junior was 36 when he died of perforated ulcers after being discharged from Dubbo Base Hospital in August, 2021.
His family has been calling for an inquest and spoke during a press conference at NSW Parliament in July alongside the National Justice Project.
In a joint statement, they argued the father-of-eight presented to hospital with severe pain, an elevated heart rate and a "popping and tearing" sensation in his stomach but "staff did not perform any X-rays, scans or a full examination".
They also believed racial prejudice affected his treatment and called for systemic changes to health practices in NSW, so First Nations people could receive culturally safe healthcare.
"Nothing will bring our son back but we want answers," his father, Rick Hampson Senior, said.
"We want the truth and to know why he was denied a diagnosis and never given the treatment he deserved and why he was treated with bias.
"He would have survived if he was examined properly."
Preventing 'avoidable' deaths
The family and health justice advocates want the full implementation of the recommendations given by a recent state parliamentary inquiry report into regional, rural and remote healthcare.
This includes the proposal to establish an independent watchdog with powers to review complaints about administrative decision-making and alleged cover-ups of medical errors, deaths, or inaccuracies.
Mr Hampson Jr's grieving father said the system must change nationally to prevent avoidable deaths.
"The inquest is desperately needed, not just to give our family the answers we deserve but to make change to our country's health system," he said.
"So many of our people continue to die avoidable deaths and no one has ever been held accountable.
"We want accountability for the way my son was treated. Without accountability and repercussions this is going to keep happening."
Family's fight for answers
Mr Hampson Jr's family members said their grief was exacerbated by the circumstances around his death.
"It's been a struggle the last 10 months with everything we've been doing to get the inquest heard," Mr Hampson Snr said.
"It's just like a weight's been lifted. We know it's only the beginning but it's a huge relief at the moment."
The family travelled from Dubbo to Sydney today to welcome the news of the inquest and present a petition with more than 13,000 signatures to NSW parliament calling for the inquest and investigation.
"We're trying to grieve but still have had to fight to get this inquest happening and find out what happened, why he was treated the way he was," Mr Hampson Snr said.
"We haven't had time to grieve, we haven't grieved properly, once we have answers and this is all over maybe we can grieve. We have to do what's right first."
A Western NSW Local Health District spokesperson said it "expresses its deepest sympathies to the family of Ricky Hampson Jr and acknowledges the distress caused by his death".
"As this case has been referred to the coroner it is not appropriate to make any further comments," they said.
The Department of Community and Justice has been contacted for comment.
