Doctors cleared in gastroenteritis death

THE death of a 10-month-old girl who died of gastroenteritis at the Makarios Hospital earlier this month was not down to lack of care by doctors or the hospital, Health Minister Charis Charalambous said yesterday.

Announcing the results of an investigation into the case, following complaints by the child’s parents, Charalambous said everything possible had been done to save the little girl.

Marikrini Mantidou from Nicosia died from dehydration, due to gastroenteritis shortly after arriving at the hospital on August 18. The family claimed there had been no doctors at the scene to treat her.

However, Charalambous said the investigation showed that the little girl’s condition had deteriorated and there was nothing that could be done. “It was nothing to do with a lack of doctors or a lack of care,” the Minister said.

He said the hospital had a blood analysis from little Marikrini that proved how advanced her condition was. He also said the investigation proved that there were five doctors available and all had seen the child, as did six nurses.

Two of the doctors were with the child at the time of death, he added.
The hospital says the child was immediately taken to the Intensive Care Unit for children. And apart from the two doctors – a paediatrician and specialised paediatrician – there were also an anaesthetist, a child cardiologist and a second specialised paediatrician.”

“We believe that after this investigation it is clear that the doctors did all they could in the time they had available,” said Charalambous.

He said the investigation included statements from all of the staff at the hospital plus members of the public who had witnessed what happened.

The death of Marikrini followed the cases of two other young children who died in the past month from dehydration, due to gastroenteritis.

Marikrini and 14-month-old Andreas Adamou from Paphos died within days of each other, although Adamou’s family have accepted that the doctors at Paphos General Hospital did all they possibly could to save their son.

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