Scandal in the refugee camp of the seriously ill child was denied medical help

The case had caused great outrage nationwide: in the central reception center for asylum seekers (ZAE) in the Middle-Franconian town of Zirndorf a small seriously ill boy had been denied assistance. The then one-year-old almost died. Three members of the refugee camp were convicted and now the judiciary is revisiting the case.

Sick refugee child denied quick help
Last year, three employees of the central reception center for asylum seekers (ZAE) in Zirndorf, Middle Franconia, were fined because they allegedly refused to help a sick refugee child quickly. As the news agency dpa reports, the judiciary is on Monday, April 27, again with the case. The Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court therefore wants to re-examine the December 2011 incident in appeal proceedings. Two process days were initially scheduled for this.

An employee and two gatekeepers convicted
In April 2014, the District Court Fürth had sentenced in the first instance an employee of the ZAE for lack of assistance to 60 daily rates of 40 euros. And two gatekeepers had to pay for negligent bodily injury by omitting 60 daily rates à 45 or 50 euros. A doctor on duty, who had examined the child in the reception center and who had been charged with negligent assault, was acquitted by the district court of Fürth.

Family was sent to the doctor on foot
In December 2011, when the parents from Serbia urged the gatekeepers of the Zirndorf camp to call a doctor or ambulance for their seriously ill, one-and-a-half-year-old son Leonardo, they refused, according to the then statements of the Bavarian Refugee Council. Instead, they asked the father to get a health insurance first. In addition, the employee had not called a doctor, but sent the family to a doctor - on foot. This way is "reasonable".

Amputation and skin grafts
As reported at the time, the family eventually made their way to the medical center four kilometers away and in summer clothes at minus three degrees outside temperature. It turned out the boy had a meningococcal infection. The bacteria released the so-called Waterhouse-Friedrichsen syndrome in the child, whereby the blood coagulates and the skin or other tissue die off. The boy initially had a high fever, then became apathetic and got dark blue patches on the skin. According to the information, he was put into an artificial coma, had multiple surgeries and had to undergo an amputation and more than a dozen skin transplants.

An emergency doctor should have been called
According to an expert, this disease is fatal in 90 percent of all cases even when treated. It is treacherous that the symptoms are initially very unspecific and the disease is therefore often recognized late. That's why the doctor did not necessarily realize in the evening that it was so bad. However, the picture was different the next morning: Because of the clearly visible patches on the skin an emergency doctor would have to be called immediately. This, as well as numerous other cases show that it is not made easy for refugees who have fled poverty and misery and sought refuge in Germany. In general, refugees in this country are second-class patients and are only entitled to minimum health care, as experts have long criticized. (Ad)

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