Parents of child who died awaiting transfer demand answers and apology

The parents of an infant who died in a Portimão hospital after being unable to be transferred to Lisbon are demanding answers from the Portuguese authorities and an apology for the way they were treated. In a conversation with the BBC, the parents of little Adonis Powell-Larochelle spoke about the last moments of the life of a 10-month-old baby during a holiday in the Algarve.

“He ate well and slept well, but then he had a fever. Then he had trouble breathing and we went to the hospital,” Deza Powell’s mother explains, adding that they were sent home with an asthma pump, ibuprofen and paracetamol.

The mother says that the boy got worse the next day, May 19th. “He looked like a rag doll. He was lethargic and his eyes were swollen.”

The family returned to the hospital in Portimão, where additional tests were carried out. While they don’t know what treatment little Adonis received, the mother says the baby has “stabilized” and that they were told he would be transported by ambulance to the intensive care unit at a larger hospital.

“Two hours later they were still taking care of the boy when he was supposed to be transferred. I could only pray.”

In tears, the mother told the BBC that she needed “responsibility, justification, because he was just a child.”

The family is raising funds to hire a lawyer and are still waiting to know when the body will be moved to the UK.

Also, according to the BBC, Portuguese Health Minister Manuel Pizarro said he “deeply regrets the outcome of this case” and expressed “sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.”

An investigation has already been launched into the case, which is currently ongoing.