Salerno - The Salerno Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction of the doctors at Ruggi Hospital, held responsible for the death of Alessandro Farina, a 13-year-old from Pellezzano, who died in December 2017 from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.
The two doctors had already been sentenced in the first instance to one year and eight months for manslaughter.
Alessandro Farina went to the hospital on December 23, 2017, where he was diagnosed with an allergy and discharged with cortisone therapy. However, his condition rapidly worsened, leading to his emergency hospitalization on Christmas Day. Tests revealed the glycemic problem, but despite treatment, the boy died on December 27 after two heart attacks.
The second degree sentence
The Court of Appeal upheld the first-instance ruling, ordering the doctors and the hospital to pay damages and legal fees. The family's lawyer, Federico Conte, stressed the importance of the ruling, which sets a precedent in the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
It is very sad that such a young boy died from an undiagnosed disease. Doctors should be more careful in making correct diagnoses. I hope this ruling will help improve things in the future.