Inquest into the death of Haidar Ali Ikhtiyar
Deceased
Haidar Ali Ikhtiyar
Demographics
62y, male
Date of death
2013-06-15
Finding date
2014-11-03
Cause of death
Self-inflicted intentional hanging
AI-generated summary
Haidar Ali Ikhtiyar, a 62-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, died by hanging in an immigration detention centre on 15 June 2013. He had experienced anxiety, depression and PTSD during detention and was under psychological care. Although he never explicitly expressed suicidal ideation to clinicians, staff noted he inquired about suicide methods weeks earlier—information that was not relayed to treating clinicians. Psychiatric and psychological care was provided to an appropriate standard by qualified staff. The coroner found no preventable contributing factors and that medical staff could not have predicted or prevented the suicide. Key clinical lessons include improving communication between administrative and medical staff regarding patient risk indicators, ensuring security-relevant information is promptly conveyed to treating clinicians, and considering how easily detainees can conceal suicidal intent despite outwardly appearing engaged in daily activities.
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Specialties
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- relationship breakdown and family separation
- marital discord (wife intending to remarry)
- uncertainty regarding immigration status and future in Australia
- age and perception of decline
- communication breakdown between administrative and medical staff regarding security information
- psychiatric vulnerability (PTSD, depression, anxiety)
Coroner's recommendations
- The three stakeholders administering detention centres (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, SERCO, and International Health and Medical Service) should examine communication practices to ensure that information relevant to patient treatment, including reasons for patient transfer between facilities, is available to all medical staff but particularly to treating clinicians
Full text
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