The family who lost their newborn son after a tragic hospital mix-up have yet to receive either compensation or an apology.

 

Little John Ghanem passed away shortly after his birth last year, after mistakenly receiving nitrous oxide (also referred to as laughing gas) instead of oxygen.

 

The mistake arose at Sydney’s Bankstown Hospital, due to the incorrect installation of the gas lines.

 

At the time, then-Minister for Health Jillian Skinner expressed her regret over the incident and assured parents Youssef and Sonya Ghanem that they would receive compensation promptly

 

Were told by then Health Minister Jillian Skinner that they would receive compensation promptly, and without litigation. Despite being presented with $7,500 to cover the costs of John’s funeral however, this has not been the case.

 

 

In a statement issued to national news publication 9 News, the family have been left devastated by their treatment at the hands of the Government.

 

The Ghanems’ lawyer revealed that, before any compensation or formal apology is awarded, they have been ordered to produce the following: tax returns, medical records for the entire family, and work and education reports for their 19-year-old daughter.

 

All three members of the family have also reportedly been ordered to see a Government-sanctioned psychiatrist.

 

Sharing their hurt over their treatment, the Ghanems said in a statement: “We feel we are being neglected by the Government; like they don’t care.

 

“We feel like we have to justify the claim. It’s making it worse, this dragging on, considering the promises of the former Minister at the time.”

 

 

The family went public with their story last July, after losing their son in such tragic circumstances.

 

Speaking to local news media, brave Sonya recalled the moment she awoke from her C-section, to discover that her baby had passed away.

 

“I held my baby. They brought him to me at the hospital. I said, ‘I want to see him’,” she recounted.

 

“[I was] just looking at him, shaking. ‘My son, wake up,’ I would tell him. ‘Wake up, wake up. What did they do to you?’”

 

Our hearts go out to the Ghanem family over the latest revelation in their tragic story. We sincerely hope that someone will step up and help them.

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