7-year-old dies at clinic after wrist fracture surgery; family alleges negligence

A tragic incident in Arequipa, Peru, has left a family devastated after their 7-year-old son died following surgery for a wrist fracture. The boy was initially taken to the Goyeneche hospital on Sunday, May 31, after sustaining the injury while playing in a park. Radiographs confirmed a severe fracture requiring corrective surgery.

According to the victim's father, Jorge Cruz, the doctor on duty at the public hospital informed them that such interventions were not performed daily and that there were no available beds for immediate surgery. Faced with their son's intense pain and lack of immediate relief, the family decided to seek private medical care. The doctor then offered to perform the operation at his private clinic, TraumaCare Salud, for a fee of S/2,500.

"The doctor told us that the hospital only operates on Thursdays and Fridays. And if there was a bed (for the intervention), they wouldn't give him painkillers, and my son was crying in pain. That's what made us desperate," the father recounted in an interview. He added that upon returning, he found his wife distraught, learning that their son had arrived at the San Juan de Dios clinic already deceased.

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The doctor told us that the hospital only operates on Thursdays and Fridays. And if there was a bed (for the intervention), they wouldn't give him painkillers, and my son was crying in pain. That's what made us desperate, and we said we would take him to a private doctor. That's when this doctor offered to take him to his clinic, TraumaCare. I went to get the money, my wife stayed, and when I returned, I found her crying and desperate... My son arrived at San Juan de Dios clinic already lifeless. My son had his whole life ahead of him. This cannot be.

The mother has filed a complaint alleging deficiencies at the medical center, including concerns about expired medications and the safety of the anesthetic procedure. The family is awaiting judicial inquiries to determine the exact cause of death. "No one will bring him back. They killed him. They killed my son. I just want justice," she stated, emphasizing that the boy, the youngest of four siblings, "had his whole life ahead of him."

Authorities are currently investigating anesthesiologist Gonzalo Jaime Delgado Zegarra and traumatologist Alex Gustavo Limachi Centeno, who were responsible for the procedure at Clínica TraumaCare Salud. The family's legal defense indicated that both professionals will be prosecuted for alleged medical negligence and manslaughter.

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No one will bring him back. They killed him. They killed my son. I just want justice. They took him from me... He didn't even have the surgery, they just applied the anesthesia, they transferred him to another clinic where they told me he arrived lifeless. The police said the anesthesia content was expired.