A woman has taken her own life at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on the day news broke that two babies had been given the wrong gas at the same south-west Sydney hospital, compounding pressure over the state government's health system failure.
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The 46-year-old woman died while in the care of Banks House mental health inpatient unit.
The woman - who has not been identified - was an Iraqi refugee and had arrived in Australia earlier this year.
Police are preparing a report for the Coroner after they were called to the hospital at 1.20pm on Monday, following the woman's death.
A spokesperson for NSW Police said the death was not suspicious and a post-mortem examination would officially determine how the woman died.
The hospital is also conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
"My heart goes out to the family and I am extremely sorry for their loss," NSW Mental Health Minister Pru Goward said in a statement:
Ms Goward said she had spoken to the NSW Health Secretary and the Chief Executive of the South Western Sydney Local Health District about the death.
"We will look at the results of the investigation and the Coroner's findings to see what more can be done to prevent such a tragic incident in the future," Ms Goward said.
A spokesperson for the hospital also offered deep and sincere condolences to the family.
"Staff are providing the family with ongoing support and assistance at this sad and difficult time.
The spokesperson said that due to patient confidentiality and out of respect to the family the hospital would not supply any more detail.
A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said they were aware of the death but "it would be inappropriate to comment further while there is an ongoing investigation".
Opposition health spokesperson Walt Secord questioned the comprehensiveness of the state government's resettlement programs, saying the government had a responsibility to ensure they were providing emotional and mental health support to people who have fled conflict zones like Iraq and Syria.
"While details are emerging, this is a tragic situation," he said.
"The Baird government has a duty of care to protect and support the most vulnerable – especially when they are accessing health and hospital facilities in NSW," he said.
Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital is under fire over an error that resulted in two newborn babies being given the wrong gas in a resuscitation unit.
A baby boy died and a baby girl has been left with serious brain damage after nitrous oxide - commonly known as "happy gas" - was incorrectly connected to the oxygen outlet that fed to a gas line into one of the hospital's operating theatres.
The mothers of the babies had been in the operating theatre with their newborns shortly after giving birth when the gas was administered.
Secretary of NSW Health Elizabeth Koff acknowledged that "unfortunately we failed as a system in the delivery of these two babies, and for that we are profoundly sorry".
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner expressed her "profound sorrow and sympathy to the families affected by this tragic mistake" on Tuesday, describing it as a "devastating error".
Ms Skinner launched an investigation headed by an independent obstetrician to determine what went wrong. An interim report is due to be released publicly within the week.
"Mothers can feel confident that we have checked every operating theatre, every [resuscitation] bay where babies are treated and there are no other examples of this," Ms Skinner said.
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley and Mr Secord said Labor would move to set up a parliamentary inquiry into the incidents involving nitrous oxide.
On Tuesday, Mr Foley demanded Ms Skinner's resignation over her handling of the matter.
"Clearly, the Health Minister is stonewalling and digging in. An independent parliamentary committee is one of the few options available to get information about the events at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital," Mr Foley said.
A third baby was left with significant injuries at the hospital in January 2014 when an oxygen bottle ran out in the birthing suite as the infant was being resuscitated, Channel Nine has reported.
All eight operating theatres at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital have now been checked and no other outlets were faulty. The outlet responsible has been fixed, but the theatre remains closed, the health ministry advised.
Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital has reviewed its records since July 2015 and confirmed no other baby received gas from the affected outlet.
All other gas outlets in hospitals across South-Western Sydney Local Health District have also been checked.
Mr Secord said he would also be seeking a bipartisan briefing from the NSW Coordinator-General for Refugee Resettlement, Professor Peter Shergold, who was appointed by the Premier.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636.
