A couple separated from their newborn baby by quarantine restriction has called on Queensland Health authorities to "correct a mistake" and help repatriate the family of three to Melbourne.
Key points:
- Sarah Haidar had an emergency caesarian at 30 weeks in RBWH on June 1
- The Haidars' son has been in an isolation room in hospital since his birth
- Moe Haider is calling on the Queensland Government to fly them home to Melbourne
Moe Haidar, 29, and his wife Sarah Haidar, 27, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and returned to Australia last month from Qatar, where they had been living and working.
Mr Haidar said the couple had booked flights from Doha to Melbourne but the flights had been cancelled.
The next available flights to Australia were six weeks later to Brisbane, where they planned to quarantine before flying to Melbourne for the birth of their son.
On May 29, Ms Haidar asked for an exemption to go to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) for her 30-week pregnancy check-up, during which scans revealed complications.
She underwent an emergency caesarean section, giving birth to her son Ilyas on June 1.
But Mr Haidar said they had been separated from their baby in an isolation room since his birth and had only seen him via a video phone call.
"She didn't have seconds with him, not even a glimpse and she didn't know what he looked like, they just took him."
He said they had appealed to Health Minister Yvette D'Ath and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young to grant them a quarantine exemption so they could see their son.
"It is just heartbreaking. You start questioning why things happened the way they did. It's really just deep anger at this point. And I'm just trying to compose myself," he said.
Mr Haidar said RBWH had enacted a plan that would allow the couple to see their baby safely, but they were still not granted exemption.
"In summary, it involved PPE: gloves, a hazmat-type suit, a face shield, testing for COVID-19 and screening beforehand," he said.
He said he believed plans were agreed upon across multiple departments at the hospital.
"My email just said, 'It's been discussed with the Chief Health Officer and the answer is no'," he said.
ABC News
)Mr Haidar said their son Ilyas was staying in his own room and that both he and his wife had tested negative to COVID-19 multiple times as well as being vaccinated.
"We're seeking the help to be airlifted home [to Melbourne]. Correct the mistake that's happened. That's what we're asking — that they correct the mistake."
"For the Premier, the vaccine means she can go to Tokyo. One can fly and I can't walk down the ward in a full hazmat suit, under full supervision to an isolated room to see my son, so it doesn't make sense."
The couple are due to be released from quarantine on Wednesday afternoon.
Dr Young defended her decision to keep the couple away from their newborn baby.
"We really can't have someone potentially at risk of having COVID going into a neonatal intensive care unit," she said.
"It's a very, very difficult situation for those parents."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA2LTA4L3FsZC1jb3ZpZC1jaG8tZGVmZW5kcy1kZWNpc2lvbi10by1zZXBhcmF0ZS1wYXJlbnRzLXdpdGgtbmV3Ym9ybi8xMDAxOTE3MDTSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwMTkxNzA0?oc=5
2021-06-08 10:16:11Z
52781653223089
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Parents separated from premature newborn by COVID quarantine seek repatriation from Brisbane to Melbourne - ABC News"
Post a Comment