São Luís Parents Dispute City Hall's Statement on Children's Deaths at Hospital

Parents of children who died at the Hospital da Criança Odorico Amaral de Matos in São Luís, Brazil, are contesting information released by the city's municipal government. They claim the city's statement contains inaccuracies regarding their children's health status upon arrival, the circumstances of their hospitalizations, and their overall condition. The Hospital da Criança is a major public pediatric facility in Maranhão, and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Maranhão (MP-MA) is currently investigating a reported increase in deaths within the hospital's Intensive Care Units (ICUs). This investigation stems from complaints submitted to the General Ombudsman of the Unified Health System (SUS), citing issues with ICU infrastructure, lack of medical supplies, alleged professional incompetence, and suspicions of medical negligence. In response to these allegations, the Ministry of Health conducted an audit of the hospital on Tuesday, the 14th. The findings and death-related data have been forwarded to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and the Federal Police.

Specific cases highlighted include four-month-old twins, Bento and Bernardo, who were admitted with flu-like symptoms and diagnosed with bronchiolitis. The city claimed Bento arrived in critical condition via ambulance from Rosário, but his mother, Carla Samila dos Santos, denies this, stating they traveled by private car and he was not in critical condition upon arrival. She asserts his health deteriorated at the hospital. The municipality of Rosário also confirmed the twins were not transported by their ambulance. Despite this, the clinical director of IBMED, Paulo Bayma, stated the children arrived from Rosário by ambulance without a doctor or oxygen. The parents also dispute the city's claim that Bernardo had pneumonia upon admission, stating he only had flu symptoms. The family maintains both children's conditions worsened significantly while under hospital care, leading to Bento's death from acute renal failure, pneumonia, pneumothorax, and septic shock, followed by Bernardo's death approximately 24 hours later. The city's mention of the twins' premature birth is seen by the mother as an attempt to attribute their deaths to prior fragility, which she refutes, stating they were healthy children.

Another case involves nine-month-old Otto, who died after a 17-day hospital stay. The city's statement mentioned Otto had severe degenerative conditions, including West syndrome and microcephaly, and was under palliative care. While the family acknowledges his clinical conditions, they argue these do not excuse the alleged mistreatment and negligence during his hospitalization. Otto's mother, Leyciane Barbosa, described the situation at the time of his death as disrespectful and stated the city's note minimized the circumstances. Otto's father, André, clarified that palliative care was aimed at ensuring comfort and quality of life, not indicating an imminent death, and contested the city's portrayal of it. The family also reported a previous incident where Otto was allegedly transferred from the ICU to a regular ward prematurely, despite his condition, and later recovered after transfer to another hospital.