Doctors who attended the abused baby declare before activating the protocol

BarcelonaThe investigation into the serious abuse of a five-week-old baby in Barcelona continues to advance with the interrogation of the health workers who attended the child before anyone raised the alarm about child abuse. The investigated couple took their son to four different health centers before he was admitted to the ICU of Vall d'Hebron Hospital.

This Thursday, health professionals from Vall d'Hebron and CAP Roger de Flor are appearing before the Barcelona court for violence against children. On Friday, workers from Sant Pau Hospital, where the child was seen twice, are summoned to testify. In fact, it was during a consultation at Sant Pau on March 16 that professionals activated the child abuse protocol and referred the baby to Vall d'Hebron, which is the reference center for child abuse, where he was admitted.

The professionals from this center told the judge that the infant's injuries were not accidental, that some had posed a life risk, and that the anal wounds were the most serious they had ever seen in their careers. In fact, the Prosecutor's Office considers them compatible with an attempted homicide of the child, who, since the parents' arrest, is with a foster family.

Health has already opened investigations

In the administrative sphere, the Department of Health has opened proceedings against the Hospital del Mar, CAP Roger de Flor, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Pau, and Vall d'Hebron. In the latter case, it is because the center had not activated the protocol until March 18, even though the baby was admitted on the 16th. During this journey through health centers, the child's parents gave different reasons for consultation each time they went to a center.

The defense of the baby's mother has also asked the court to question the workers of the Hospital del Mar and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, who also treated the infant before the child abuse protocol was activated. According to legal sources consulted by ARA, the court has yet to respond to this request.

The child's mother has asked to testify again and next Thursday she will offer explanations to the judge again. Both she and the child's father were arrested on March 18 and entered provisional prison for alleged mistreatment and sexual assault when the child's severe injuries were detected. The woman was released on provisional liberty after an appeal in which she distanced herself from the man's actions. He, on the other hand, remains in prison despite having appealed unsuccessfully.