Panama Girl Who Died in US Border Reportedly Denied Medical Assistance
Disturbing details have emerged regarding the untimely death of Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, an eight-year-old Panama girl with preexisting medical conditions, while under the custody of the US Border Patrol. Investigations reveal a series of distressing events leading up to her passing, including multiple denied requests for hospitalization, BBC reported.
According to investigators, the Panama girl exhibited fever, flu-like symptoms, and pain, prompting medical personnel to examine her on nine separate occasions within three days.
On the day of her tragic demise, a nurse checked on her four times, but despite the pleas of the girl's mother, who made three or four requests for an ambulance, no medical transportation was arranged.
The Customs and Border Protection report sheds light on the events surrounding Alvarez's death. Born in Panama to Honduran parents, she had reportedly received treatment for her symptoms, including antiviral drugs, ice packs, and a cold shower, on May 16.
However, it appears that the medical staff at the facility were unaware of Alvarez's underlying health conditions, including congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia, both of which necessitate ongoing medical attention throughout an individual's lifetime.
The grieving family claims to have informed the facility of their daughter's medical history when they were detained a week before the tragic incident.
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Nurse Denies Ambulance for Panama Girl
The autopsy report of Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, the Panama girl, provides further insight into the events leading up to her tragic passing while in the custody of the United States Border Patrol.
The report indicates that on May 17, Alvarez, who had been experiencing stomach pain, nausea, and breathing difficulties, consulted with a nurse practitioner (NP) four times.
According to the autopsy report, Alvarez's heart rate and oxygen saturation were within normal ranges during these appointments. At 9:33 am, the NP administered Zofran to alleviate her nausea. However, it is revealed that the NP repeatedly denied the girl's mother's requests for an ambulance, as documented in the medical records.
In a concerning turn of events, around 10:30 am, another medical staff member presented the NP with paperwork and a bottle of folic acid tablets from the family's belongings.
The mother, seeking to provide her child with folic acid, requested the NP's assistance, to which the NP seemingly agreed without thoroughly reviewing the paperwork.
Later that day, after the mother's fourth appointment with the NP, she brought her daughter back to the health center around 1:55 pm, as the girl appeared to be experiencing a seizure. The medical staff immediately initiated CPR and called for an ambulance. South Texas Emergency Care assumed control of the rescue efforts at 2:07 pm.
Tragically, upon arrival at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, where the Panama girl and her mother were taken, Alvarez was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes after arriving, according to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.
Following the transfer to the hospital, the NP noted two final medical interactions in the records, marking the conclusion of their involvement in Alvarez's case.
Honduran Teen Also Died in US Border Patrol Custody
The death of the Panama girl comes after another terrible occurrence involving a 17-year-old unaccompanied Honduran migrant who passed away while receiving care from the US Department of Health and Human Services, according to official comments from Honduran officials and a congressional notice
The teen was found lifeless at a facility in Safety Harbor, Florida. According to a government official, the Office of Refugee Resettlement is looking into the situation and is awaiting the medical examiner's final findings.
Angel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza was tragically lost unexpectedly on May 10-five days after being admitted to the Safety Harbor facility by the US Department of Health and Human Services resettlement office.
Since the finding of Espinoza's lifeless body in bed, federal government representatives and the agency have been largely mute, providing scant details about the occurrence.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Nurse denied ambulance requests for migrant girl who died in CBP custody, officials say - Form CBS News