The pediatrician of the CAP says that the abused baby did not have the serious injuries three days before being admitted to the ICU

BarcelonaThe pediatrician of CAP Roger de Flor in Barcelona who attended the baby who was hospitalized for mistreatment at only five weeks old has stated before the judge that three days before being admitted to the ICU, the infant did not have the severe anal lesions that were detected at Vall d'Hebron. The doctor and the nurse from this CAP who were attending the child explained that they saw him on March 13, just three days before he was admitted to Vall d'Hebron Hospital, which ended up activating the child abuse protocol.

According to legal sources, the doctor and the nurse have stated that they had already attended to the child on March 10 during the monthly check-up. During that visit, they detected bruises on the scrotum and referred the child to Sant Pau Hospital for an ultrasound. Once they had the results that did not indicate anything unusual, the pediatrician called them back to continue searching for the origin of the bruises. This visit on March 13 was the last contact with a health center that the child had until the day he was hospitalized.

The two primary care professionals have assured that the severe anal lesions found by the Vall d'Hebron professionals were not present during the last medical visit three days before the child was hospitalized. Legal sources add that both stated this without any doubt, after seeing a photo of the visible lesions the child had, and having explained that during the visits to the CAP, they evaluated both the bruises on the scrotum and the dermatitis caused by the diaper.

They also agreed in saying that they did not see anything alarming or that made them suspect the baby's parents. In fact, they explained that the child did not become irritable when they had to examine him, and they said they saw two enthusiastic young parents who attended all check-ups and, in front of them, treated the baby well.

This Thursday, a traumatologist and a radiologist from Vall d'Hebron also testified, explaining that the infant was admitted with long-standing injuries and a more recent femur fracture. According to sources present at the hearing, they agreed with other healthcare professionals testifying in the case in suggesting that the injuries were unlikely to have been accidental. Other professionals from this center who had already testified before the judge stated that the infant's injuries were not accidental, that some had posed a life-threatening risk, and that the anal injuries were "the most severe they had ever seen in their careers". In fact, the prosecution considers them "compatible with an attempted homicide" of the child, who, since the parents' arrest, is with a foster family.

More testimonies in the case

The couple investigated for allegedly mistreating their baby took their son to four different health centers before he was admitted to the ICU of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital. The investigation of the case continues to advance and this Friday the judge will take statements from more witnesses. Specifically, he will hear from workers at the Sant Pau Hospital, where they visited the child twice. In fact, it was during a consultation at Sant Pau on March 16th that professionals activated the child abuse protocol and referred the baby to Vall d'Hebron, the reference center for child abuse, where he was admitted the same day.

The child's mother has requested 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 18th and were taken into provisional prison for alleged mistreatment and sexual assault when the serious injuries the child was suffering 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 imprisoned although he has appealed, without success.

Health has already opened files

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 de Sant Pau, and Vall d'Hebron, in the latter case because the center did not activate 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.