TWO STATE doctors were yesterday found guilty of medical negligence over the 2001 death of a 14-year-old boy.
The boy died from complications after doctors failed to remove a piece of fabric lodged in a wound caused by rusty metal.
It was later established that the death of Giorgos Hadjidemetris from Geri had been caused by a shocked lung.
Giorgos had been injured and was taken to hospital where the wound was stitched up. But his parents, who cried foul since day one, claimed the doctor who treated the wound did not give it proper attention.
They alleged that it had not been cleaned properly, just wiped with a piece of cotton with antiseptic on it.
Four days later the boy had to be taken back to hospital suffering from high fever and pain in the wound area.
He underwent surgery on the same day and his wound was opened and cleaned. Giorgos was kept in hospital and treated intravenously with antibiotics. Three days later, and with the infection getting worse, doctors deemed it necessary for the boy’s wound to be cleaned again, but he died on the operating table.
Yesterday, a Nicosia district court found surgeons Gregoris Stavrou and Kyriacos Papakyriacou guilty on negligence charges.
A third doctor was acquitted.
A mitigation hearing will be held on Friday while sentencing is expected to take place early next week.
At the time doctors said all necessary tests and precautions had been carried out, but could not explain why the boy died.
Two days later pathologists carrying out a post-mortem found a piece of fabric, which was later found to be from the boy’s clothes, lodged in the wound.
The cloth had not previously been found by doctors on three occasions when they were treating the 14-year-old.
The shocked lung confirmed that he did, in fact, die from infection.
In lay terms, the shocked lung was caused when a mass of small particles of infected material created a blockage of small vessels, which in turn brought about the shock.
Giorgos’ father, Omiros Hadjidemetris, yesterday said justice had been served. “The judge reached a fair decision and now I am waiting for the sentencing. My son died in surgery then they moved him back to the emergency ward and said he died there,” said the father.
Responding to the verdict the Pancyprian Medical Association announced measures to ensure such incidences do not take place again.
President of the association Antonis Vassiliou yesterday said, while not admitting this was a case of medical negligence the association respected the court’s ruling.
“There are problems with our medical service. Doctors are overworked which leads to lack of care and possibly negligence. I’m not defending the doctors but we must take this into account,” said Vassiliou.
He added that his main concern is that many doctors stopped caring about the patients and instead focussed on their career. “We don’t want doctors to think they don’t have to explain their actions, but we also don’t want terror instilled in them.”
