Aboriginal girl’s death described

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33252, 15 June 1973, Page 16

Aboriginal girl’s death described

(N.Z. Press Association — Copyright) CANBERRA, June 13. An Aboriginal community leader said today that a young girl had died of pneumonia in Victoria after she was forced to hitch-hike in the rain to see a doctor.

Mrs Hyllus Maris, a liaison officer with the National Council of Aboriginal and Island Women, was giving evidence to the Senate standing committee on Social Environment. Mrs Maris said that a Victorian Ministry of Aboriginal

Affairs sister had refused to take the girl to a doctor’s appointment after a directive that Aborigines should not be carried in Ministry cars—the girl had died three days later. In a report to the committee, Mrs Maris said that in the Gipps 'an area east o.' Melbourne, scabies, worms, vitamin deficiencies, skin sores, ear disease, nose and ear discharges, and maggots in the ears which caused the children to smell so that they did not get on at school, prevailed. She said that an outbreak of scabies in the area threatened to reach epidemic proportions, and was the second outbreak in 12 months. Mrs Maris also cited cases of an Aboriginal girl being refused immediate medical treatment by an Aboriginal Affairs sister because it “was not Ministry policy,” and of two hospitals refusing to give Aborgines blood transfusions at night. She said that in the last six months at least six families had lived under pieces of tin on river banks for months at a time, and others including many old people, were living —and dying—in cars. Mrs Maris called for an Aborginal medical service to be set up by the Aborginal people to ensure total and permanent health of the people.