Hospital missed critical signs before young dad's death, review finds
Fatigued clinicians, bed shortages and communication failures were factors in the death of Mena Tuibua, who left Mackay Base Hospital after hours in its emergency department waiting room, a review finds.
A youth worker named Amenatave Mena Tuibua tragically passed away on the night of May 26, 2025, at Mackay Base Hospital. The public hospital was fully occupied on that evening, with no available beds or treatment bays. Mr. Tuibua (41) arrived with chest pain, and he waited for three hours in the emergency department before being discharged without proper cardiac monitoring.
His family claims that doctors failed to correctly interpret his ECG, which indicated an abnormal heart rhythm, and disregarded guidelines for evaluating cardiac pain. It was later determined that medical staff potentially misread another patient's blood test results, missing a crucial sign of heart damage. Mr. Tuibua later collapsed during a youth camp on Whitsunday Island and was unable to be revived.
His wife, Shey Tuibua, learned of his heart attack while at rugby training with their son. An internal review found that Mr. Tuibua was not treated as a high-risk patient despite his history of high blood pressure and family cardiac problems. The root cause analysis highlighted several overlooked clinical findings and missed critical indicators of heart damage.
The hospital is under increased pressure due to a growing number of urgent presentations, with 80% of patients seen within recommended time frames. The Queensland Coroners Court has reopened the investigation into Mr. Tuibua's death, and the planned 128-bed expansion of Mackay Base Hospital, originally promised for late 2026, remains delayed.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
