Costa Blanca

Jail sought for two doctors over the death of 8 year old boy

The Alicante Prosecutor’s Office has requested prison sentences of one year to ten months and two years and four months for two paediatricians in connection with the alleged medical negligence that resulted in the death of an eight-year-old boy. The prosecution alleges that the boy, who succumbed to peritonitis in October 2020, arrived at the emergency room on five separate occasions within a four-day timeframe without receiving appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Today Monday 24th March, the trial against physicians MRR from the Elda hospital and MBS from the Petrer health centre started. Both are accused of homicide as a result of professional negligence. In addition to the prison sentences, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is requesting compensation for the family of the deceased child that exceeds €143,000, as well as four and a half years of professional disqualification for the first doctor and three and a half years for the second. The law firm of Raquel Sánchez Navarro has also represented the child’s mother and grandparents as private prosecutors.

The events commenced on October 24th, 2020, when little Aitor EG began experiencing abdominal pain at his family residence in Petrer. He resided with his maternal grandmother and her partner, who had been granted custody by his mother. The elders transported the minor to the local health centre, where he was subsequently referred to the hospital in Elda, in light of the identified symptoms. The doctors diagnosed abdominal pain without warning signs and vomiting during this initial encounter, attributing it to the potential onset of a viral process. Therefore, they discharged him.

Timeline of a catastrophic medical negligence case

The child’s condition did not improve; rather, it deteriorated as a result of his persistent regurgitation. This prompted his grandparents to return to the clinic two days later, on October 26th. After that, he was referred back to the Elda hospital, where he was treated by paediatrician MRR, who is currently under indictment. The indictment alleges that the physician neglected to document numerous critical symptoms in her report, including his pulse rate, and neglected to request essential tests, including an abdominal ultrasound or blood test, which were regarded as fundamental protocols for the symptoms he presented.

The Prosecutor’s Office characterises these incidents as “malpractice” and specifically faults the physician for suggesting a return visit to the Emergency Room “if the child vomits a lot,” despite the fact that the child was already vomiting seven to eight times during the day. It also raises concerns regarding the doctor’s recommendation that the child undergo a checkup with his primary paediatrician, as the child had already been referred to the hospital on two prior occasions. This underscores the gravity of the situation.

The fatal outcome transpired on October 28th, mere hours prior to his passing. The grandparents transported little Aitor to the Petrer outpatient clinic for the fifth time in the early hours of the morning, as the agony persisted and exacerbated. There, he was treated by the second doctor accused, MBS, who, according to the prosecution, failed to perform a physical examination or take basic vital signs such as blood pressure or heart rate , which were essential for assessing the patient’s condition.

The paediatrician did not deem it necessary to send the child to the hospital, despite the fact that the child was in a “serious condition,” and administered IM Buscapina Compositum, a medication that is not typically recommended in paediatrics. This decision, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, increased the child’s likelihood of death by 70%. He was experiencing acute appendicitis at the time, which progressed to a digestive tract infection and, ultimately, peritonitis.

MBS “violated basic standards of his profession and aggravated the minor’s situation,” according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The minor passed away at 9:00 a.m. on the same day at the Elda hospital, mere hours after his most recent medical appointment.

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Related Topics:Alicante Emergency Health Hospital Local Public

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Costa Blanca

Elche’s PP and Vox approve a 9% water bill rise

Together, the Popular Party and Vox have authorised a 9% increase in water bills, which would cost Elche residents about 18 euros more annually. Juan de Dios Navarro, the water councillor, stressed that this pricing increase will include a reduction for long-term unemployed people, vulnerable people, large families, seniors, and those who are permanently incapacitated. Additionally, the change will restore the €4.3 million anti-flood investment plan, build a storm tank to collect rainwater in the San Antón ravine, establish a sewer fund, clean drains, and supply water to unserved districts like Llano de San Gosé, Algoda, Matola, and Pusol, Navarro stressed.

Héctor Díez, a spokesman for the Socialist Party, denounced the hike in water bills as a “fiscal blow.” He further bemoaned the fact that in addition to this increase, the municipal authorities had commissioned a €75,000 sculpture to mark the 25th anniversary of Aigües d’Elx.

Additionally, Díez claimed that this year’s Atirriadas plan had only been allocated €250,000. Díez added that the local council has authorised a waste tax hike of up to 33% this year in addition to the increase in water bills.

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Costa Blanca

In Alicante, three arrested for stealing a gold chain from a man who was working out

Three men have been taken into custody by National Police officers in Alicante on suspicion of violent robbery and resisting an officer. A gold chain was brutally torn from around the neck of a man who was exercising in public after the suspects asked him to take a picture of them. A foot chase and prompt police action led to the recovery of the jewellery and the arrest of the offenders.

The incident started when someone called CIMACC Room 091 to report that he had been robbed. The victim was seen pursuing three males by the patrol sent to the location, but they ran away when they saw the police.

Officers started a foot pursuit right away, and the three males were finally apprehended and stopped. They were charged with violent robbery and resisting arrest. Officers recovered the stolen gold chain, and it was given back to its rightful owner.

The victim informed police that two people approached him while he was playing sports in a public area and requested him to take their picture. While he went to retrieve his mobile phone, one of the criminals violently grabbed him by the neck and pulled his chain. The three accused attempted to escape after physically assaulting him for resisting.

The inmates have been turned over to the Alicante investigating court after police investigations.

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Costa Blanca

Young man arrested in Alicante for murder in France

In a combined operation by the Spanish National Police and French authorities, S. AB, an 18-year-old Algerian immigrant, was found and taken into custody on Tuesday 25th March in Alicante, in the Valencian Country, about two months after he fled France, where he was wanted for murder. A 25-year-old security guard at a popular nightclub in the city of Saint-Étienne took in the youngster, who had entered the country illegally. The individual who was arrested is being held by the police while they wait for him to be extradited to France, which may take up to a month.

After failing to get in touch with the victim for days, a relative went in search of him and discovered him dead inside his flat on February 9th. There were no indications that a knife or gun had been used. The autopsy’s forensic specialists determined that strangulation-induced cardiac arrest was the cause of death. Although the motive for the crime is still being investigated, investigators discovered evidence of drugs next to the body, which could indicate retaliation for a drug debt or another disagreement involving drug trafficking.

Searching for a “very dangerous” fugitive for a month

SAB was always the main suspect in this case; the victim’s family knew he had provided him with shelter in the days before her death, and they didn’t hear from him again. Officers from the Specialised Organised Crime Division tracked the suspect’s potential exit from the country after learning that he had departed Saint-Étienne in the hours immediately after the murder. Hundreds of bus and train station cameras were examined, yet SAB used covert means to enter Spain and continued to travel till he arrived in Alicante.

Two weeks after the crime, on February 22th, Interpol released a Red Notice, which is an arrest and surrender warrant that permits worldwide cooperation in the apprehension of dangerous criminals, along with the suspect’s information and photo. This information, along with other details regarding his potential movements throughout Spain, was gathered by the Spanish National Police’s Fugitives Squad. A few weeks later, police were able to track him down, and they conducted close surveillance in the Alicante region until March 25th, the day he was arrested.

There were no problems during the arrest process. The police are currently working to determine the motive behind the murder while his extradition is pending. At this point, it’s unknown if it was a personal conflict or anything related to drugs.