A coroner has delivered damning findings into the death of a Gold Coast woman who died days after weight-loss surgery. Rosemarie Campbell, who was 62, died in her Gold Coast home in 2022, not long after undergoing a gastric bypass operation. The surgery had been performed by Dr Reza Adib, who is the partner of former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. The coroner's findings, released this week, have placed the circumstances of her death under intense scrutiny.
At the centre of the findings is the conclusion that the death was avoidable. The coroner found that Ms Campbell would likely still be alive today had she not been discharged from hospital so soon after the operation. That single conclusion has reframed the case from a tragic medical outcome into one that, in the coroner's view, should never have happened. It is the finding the family had been waiting on for years.
The coroner laid the blame at the feet of Dr Adib and two nurses involved in Ms Campbell's care. According to the findings, the nurses told the surgeon that his patient had been vomiting. However, they did not relay the crucial detail that her vital signs were deteriorating. That gap in communication, the coroner found, was part of the chain of events that led to her being sent home when she should not have been.
The coroner was also scathing in her assessment of the surgeon's credibility. Among the most serious concerns was a finding that Dr Adib had made false statements in a letter to the Australian Taxation Office. The letter was used to allow Ms Campbell to access her superannuation funds in order to pay for the surgery. The coroner's criticism went beyond the clinical decisions and into the question of whether the surgeon could be regarded as a reliable witness.
The involvement of the tax office has added another layer to the case. The Australian Taxation Office told the ABC that it was aware of the coroner's findings. However, it would not confirm whether it was investigating Dr Adib over the matter. That leaves open the question of whether the findings about the superannuation letter will be examined further by authorities beyond the coroner's court.
For Ms Campbell's family, the findings have reopened a deep wound. In a statement released after the findings were handed down, they said she should still be alive today and able to play with her grandchildren. Instead, they said, they have had to bury her. They described being robbed of precious time with a much-loved mother and grandmother, capturing the personal cost behind the official conclusions.
The family is now pressing for consequences to follow the findings. In their statement, they called for accountability and for change, so that what happened to Ms Campbell is not repeated. The coroner's conclusions have given weight to their long-held belief that her death was preventable. With questions still hanging over the surgeon and the response of other authorities, the family's demand for accountability is likely to keep the case in the public eye.