ESTEEMED ABORIGINAL MUSICIAN REMOVED FROM SIR CHARLES GAIRDNER AFTER ASKING FOR A SANDWICH
Yabu-Band singer Delson Stokes sits outside of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (Source: Facebook)
Yabu band lead singer Delson Stokes said he felt compelled to talk about the treatment of Aboriginal people in the medical world after he was kicked out of the Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital after asking for a sandwich just hours after his eye surgery.
“My people don’t live long in the world”.
Mr Stokes was committed to hospital on Friday at 4.30 pm awaiting eye surgery.
Made to wait four hours in the hospital, even though he had booked his bed two weeks in advance, Mr Stokes said he wasn’t committed into the theatre until midnight.
“To me, it’s not good enough… It’s a multimillion-dollar company”.
In under six hours following surgery, Mr Stokes was escorted out of Sir Charles Gairdner hospital by security guards, without he felt proper medical approval.
His personal information was given to security guards, to be relayed onto him, including his webster pack holding his medications.
This occurred after he asked a nurse for a sandwich and a coffee to help with his blood sugar levels.
“I sympathize with the nurses and the doctors and commend what they do. It doesn’t give you the excuse to talk to me and other people in different ways.”
Mr Stokes said the nurse's attitude and tone of her voice sounded very disrespectful especially towards him.
“She spoke to me like I was a little boy”.
When asking for an extra blanket, she threw the blanket at Mr Stokes onto his foot.
Mr Stokes sat there buzzing for assistance to receive pain killers for over 10 minutes with no nurses answering his calls.
When a woman arrived, she told him that he was going to break the buzzer.
After she left, she brought back security guards with one of the matrons telling him that he was discharged and out of there.
“I was polite, I was respectful, I was taught to treat everybody well… The doctor didn’t even look at my eye, I thought only the doctor could discharge me”.
The story has brought outrage across social media with people saying the incident was blatant discrimination, against an award-winning Australian icon.
Mr Stokes has been a promoter of health initiatives across WA, including supporting World No Tobbacco Day in Roebourne. (Source: Ngaarda Media)
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital has been under fire after a report showing multiple patients complaining of long wait times and a lack of beds.
The hospital is currently under investigation for allegations of gross negligence of Nurse Mary Tino, who died of sepsis under the care of the hospital.
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital has refuted some of the claims made by Mr Stokes and has said that only two security officers escorted Mr Stokes from the building at around 7.40 am.
”The North Metropolitan Health Service does not tolerate anti-social and aggressive behaviour towards staff under any circumstances. As is standard practice, Mr Stokes was provided follow-up referrals, medication and travel assistance upon his discharge, and was escorted from the hospital by two security officers”