Seven hospital nurses were
found guilty of culpable manslaughter and handed suspended
sentences of one year each in the March 2010 death by
dehydration of Rachel Odiase, aged 13 months.
The court also sentenced the nurses and Uboldo Hospital in
the Milan-area town of Cernusco sul Naviglio to pay damages to
the victim's parents. A civil court will decide on the amount.
Two doctors have already been found guilty in the case and
sentenced to pay 400,000 euros to the parents, who are raising
Rachel's four brothers and sisters.
Rachel was rushed by ambulance to the Uboldo Hospital
emergency room just past midnight on March 3, 2010. She had
acute gastroenteritis - a bacterial or viral infection of the
gut that causes vomiting and diarrhea.
She was with her mother Linda, who was joined later by
father Tommy, an unemployed construction worker who brought his
daughter's national health card. It had expired.
Emergency room staff underestimated the child's state, and
said she didn't need to be hospitalized.
An hour later Tommy Odiase requested another medical visit
since the child had gotten worse, but was turned down because
Rachel's health card was expired.
Carabinieri police intervened, and the child was finally
hospitalized after 02:00. The mother stated medical staff
neglected Rachel the entire night, and that it was only at 08:00
on March 4 that someone showed up to give her a blood test.
She died at dawn on March 5.
An autopsy showed the cause of death was dehydration.
The prosecution said this was due to a lack of adequate
medical care.
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