Mother refutes hospital report on daughter’s death

A woman whose 8-year-old daughter died Monday in hospital says she didn’t know what documents she was asked to sign, raising doubts over claims that she declined medical treatment for her little girl.

(Click here for an update to the story)

The young girl was taken by her parents to the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital on Sunday evening with high fever. Around 2am Monday morning, the woman came back to the ER with her daughter having a low pulse and high fever and being in partial loss of consciousness.

But there are two conflicting versions of what actually happened Sunday evening at the hospital.

According to a hospital report, staff say the woman asked to sign a release form against doctors’ advice, and she then took the girl home until their next visit to the ER hours later.

But the mother, described as a Bulgarian national, told police on Tuesday that she never asked for a hospital discharge.

According to local media reports, the woman did not understand the form she was asked to sign, which was reportedly a document for legal guardians who declined medical treatment for their offspring.

The woman went to police a second time for supplementary statements and was accompanied by her 18-year-old daughter who speaks fluent Greek. According to media sources, police heard that the doctors told the mother to bring the child back to the hospital the next day.

Police are also trying to ascertain additional facts with the assistance of a health administrator at the Health Ministry, in addition to the report which has already been compiled by hospital staff and handed over to Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou.

Knews understands that investigators are also probing the issue of whether the family had a medical card and whether this had played any role on Sunday evening.

Several doctors and nurses have already given statements to the police, as well as the 18-year-old sister of the little girl.