Pediatric Surgeons Back Neurosurgeon After Resignation from Pereira Rossell

The Uruguayan Society of Pediatric Surgeons has publicly supported a neurosurgeon who resigned from his position as head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Hospital Pereira Rossell, citing alleged irregularities and a lack of essential resources.

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We express our solidarity with Dr. Costa because he is a professional who has given ample proof of interest and has strengthened and created the Pediatric Neurosurgery Department at the Hospital Pereira Rossell, which has developed cutting-edge procedures over all these years.

Gonzalo Costa, the neurosurgeon in question, stepped down last Friday. The Society of Pediatric Surgeons has expressed solidarity with him, highlighting his significant contributions to the development of pediatric neurosurgery at the hospital. Carlos Kierszenbaum, the organization's president, praised Costa's dedication and stated that his work was crucial in establishing advanced procedures.

Kierszenbaum emphasized the need for a negotiated solution and offered the society's services as intermediaries. "We believe there must be dialogue. It has to be a negotiated situation, it has to be discussed and resolved, because the goal is for children to have the best quality of care possible," he stated. The society's primary objective, he added, is to ensure optimal care for children.

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We urge the parties to find solutions and offer ourselves as intermediaries for that to happen. Our goal and our concern is to provide the best possible care to children.

In his resignation letter, Costa detailed concerns about a "lack of assistance" and alleged shortages of basic medical supplies and equipment at the national pediatric hospital. He mentioned the absence of crucial items such as "headrests, anti-decubitus and positioning elements for children, hemostatic agents, adequate microsurgical instruments, a surgical microscope, availability of neuroimaging studies in the operating room, insufficient central suction, and an infinity of other things not relevant to list."

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For several months, we have been overlooking the omission of assistance.

Costa further described critical situations during emergency surgeries for severely ill children, where minimal equipment for procedures like hematoma evacuation was unavailable. He noted a lack of replacement instruments, failure to purchase basic supplies, and insufficient human resources. Costa also recounted that his previous communications with hospital management about these issues were met with dismissive responses.

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We have had to suspend coordinations due to a lack of basic elements, such as headrests, anti-decubitus and positioning elements for children, hemostatic agents, adequate microsurgical instruments, a surgical microscope, availability of neuroimaging studies in the operating room, insufficient central suction, and an infinity of other things not relevant to list.