Good Morning, Kate Arnott with ABC News11 June, 2004
A coroner has found the Werribee Mercy Hospital couldhave prevented the death of 37-year-old Silvana Manitta who died after surgery for an overactive thyroid in 2002. Mrs Manitta died when she suffered a post-operative haemorrhage, which starved her brain of oxygen. She was transferred to another hospital and taken off life support six days later after suffering irreversible brain damage. Coroner Heather Spooner pointed to a lackof communication between medical staff in notifying doctors of a problem. The family now plans to take civilaction. Mrs Manitta’s husband, Mario, says it’s been a difficult time:
I am pleased that hopefully they’ll resolve this problem, but I just feel lack of experience between the nurse, nursing staff, the communication between, you know, contacting the doctor earlier which could have prevented it, um, just a lot of issues that, you know, could have been prevented and she still would have been here today.
Police are searching for a gunman who heldup the Bendigo Bank at Camberwell this morning. It’s understood the Business Manager was forced inside the bank on Prospect Hill Road around 8.00 am and held at gunpoint for several minutes. The gunman hasfled the scene, it’s not known how much cash was stolen. Detective Inspector Stephen Clark from the Armed Offences Squad says the Dog Squad and uniformed police are searching the area:
We’re looking for a male offender in, in his mid thirties with a dark moustache and dark goatee beard, wearing a black bomber jacket.
A trial could be several months away for Australian David Hicks, detained by the US military at Guantanamo Bay. The US government hasnow formally charged Hicks with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit war crimes, and aiding the enemy. It’s understood two family members will be able to attend the trail expected to be held in Cuba. Despite the charges being laid, David Hicks’ lawyer in Adelaide, Stephen Kenny, is pessimistic on the outcome of a trial:
Our concern in this matter is of course that David won’t receive a fair trail, simply because the rules relating to that trail, the fact that it has noappeal to any independent ah, judiciary ah, make it extremely difficult for him, um, to receive anything that Australians would recognise as a fair trail.
Police are searching the Jeeralang Ranches in Victoria’s east for a woman they say was abducted from Churchill University. Police say a 19-year-old man kidnapped a 20-year-old woman at the campus last night. Police say the man knows the woman and the kidnapping is a domestic incident. They’re reassuring students at the university not to be alarmed.
A 3-year-old girl has died in hospital after being involved in a three-car collision at Camberfield, north of Melbourne yesterday. The accident happened onthecorner of the Hume highway and Summerton Road. The girl wasflown to hospital but died overnight. This year’s road toll stands at 171, three more than for the same time last year.
The federal government will provide free vaccinations for the deadly pneumococcal disease to all newborn babies and children under two. The program will begin at the start of next year and will cost 178 million dollars over two years. People aged over 65 will also get the vaccine for free, meaning almost two and a half million Australians will be entitled to it. The government has been negotiating the price with the drugsupplier, but the Health Minster Tony Abbott says the talks haven’t delayed the start of the program:
The reason why we were originally delayed was because we, ah, were told that ah, it would be impossible, ah, to access supplies of the vaccine until October this year ah, which would mean it would be impossible to start a universal program until the beginning of next year.
The Olympic stadium in Athens has been given a thumbsup by athletes and officials conducting the first test event in the arena just two months from the games. From Athens, Paul Lockyer report:
Athletes filed past the rubble to take to the arena that remains a construction site. It was a proud moment for those competing in the National Track and Field Championships. Greek 400 metre hurdle champion Pericles Iakovakis by passed a highprofiled international event in Oslo to get a feel for the stadium in which he hopes to win an Olympic medal. He was pleased to see the stadium finally takingshape:
The most important thing is that everything’s going to be ready for sure, (laughs), there is no other way (laughs). Paul Lockyer, Athens.
Now the weather: for Victoria, a cool to cold mostly sunny day with generally light winds. For the bays, variable winds of 10 knots tending northerly at 10 to 15 knots tonight. For Melbourne, mostly cloudy and afternoon sunny periods, a fine day with an expected top of 15, currently it’s 9 degrees.
This is ABC News.