An Arizona mother says her 18-month-old son was found alive in a hospital morgue hours after an emergency department doctor pronounced him dead. Alexus Fiordilino said the toddler, Vincent, was found floating in the family's swimming pool on February 8 and given CPR before being taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. A police report cited a nurse saying she had a pulse before the revival attempt was halted. Vincent was later moved to Phoenix Children's Hospital, where tests showed severe brain damage. The hospital operator said it could not comment on patient care.
Siblings Anis, 13, and Melanie, 3, from a tiny volcanic island in Vanuatu can now walk after seven months of donated physiotherapy and surgery in Canberra. Their feet had been turned backwards for years because the condition went uncorrected. Their mother, Lisa Kassau, travelled to Australia with them and says she can now watch her children walk and play. The care is provided under an agreement between the ACT government and Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, which brings sick children to Canberra. The organisation has helped about 600 children in 20 years.
The west coast Tasmanian town of Strahan has a permanent local doctor for the first time in almost ten years. Dr Cathy Welch recently moved from remote Scotland to take up the post at the town's clinic, which is owned by Ochre Health. Residents say repeating their medical history to a new visiting doctor each time has been hard, and some avoid seeking help. Dr Welch says continuity helps doctors ask better questions. Peak body the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says the national shortage of GPs is beginning to ease.
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Residents of the closing YiSSA shelter in Darwin say some with serious medical conditions are being moved about 100 kilometres to the outback town of Batchelor. The NT government had previously said medically vulnerable people would not be relocated there. Resident spokeswoman Tilathia Gore said she needs to be near medical services for her rheumatic heart disease. Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley said the Batchelor facility is in its final stage of commissioning, with residents moving in over the next few days. Opposition leader Selena Uibo criticised the transition, saying the site is not yet fit for purpose.
Christa Pike, 50, survived a failed lethal injection execution attempt in Tennessee on September 30. Her lawyers are seeking information about the botched procedure, which left her with burns and blisters. Pike is conscious and speaking, but her long-term prognosis is unclear. A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Nashville to address the preservation of execution evidence. Governor Bill Lee has ordered a review of the incident and postponed the state's next scheduled execution.
