MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2023) The death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl in Federal custody in Texas could have been prevented if Border Patrol medical staff had reviewed her medical records and called an ambulance in time, The Hill newspaper reported, citing an internal investigation report.
In May, the US Border Patrol reported the death of Anadith Alvarez at a hospital where she had been taken after feeling unwell on her ninth day in custody in Harlingen, Texas, where she was with her family.
The results of the internal investigation showed that the girl had a chronic heart condition and sickle cell anemia, which were mentioned in her medical file, but the medical staff reportedly refused to examine it. In addition, a nurse practitioner refused to call an ambulance even after three out of four requests from the girl's mother, the newspaper said.
"The failure to consult a physician or a local health facility for more extensive testing raises fundamental concerns regarding the ability of the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) medical system to care appropriately for children at elevated medical risk," The Hill quoted the report as saying.
The report's authors called the girl's death a "preventable tragedy."
The US media reported earlier this year on the death of another girl in federal custody in Florida. The Daily Beast news outlet said that it was the first case since Joe Biden became US president. In 2019, Biden criticized the Trump administration over the deaths of several children in detention centers for illegal immigrants, calling the situation "unacceptable."
