Doctor indicted for manslaughter after child dies from scorpion sting

The Civil Police of Conchal, São Paulo, have indicted physician Augusto Fortunato de Godoi for involuntary manslaughter following the death of three-year-old Bernardo de Lima Mendes. The child died in March after being stung by a scorpion.

According to the police investigation, the doctor failed to follow established health guidelines which mandate that any child under ten years old stung by a scorpion must be stabilized and immediately transferred to a reference hospital equipped with antivenom, such as the facility in Araras. Instead, the physician kept the child under observation in Conchal. The child's condition worsened, leading to cardiorespiratory arrest and cardiogenic shock. An emergency transfer occurred more than four hours after the sting, at which point the medical state was deemed irreversible.

During online interrogation, Dr. Godoi admitted he was unaware of the specific medical protocol for scorpion stings in young children, noting his specialization is in psychiatry. He claimed he had not received instruction on this procedure at any of the five hospitals where he works. While the defense maintains his innocence, the police concluded that the failure to seek knowledge of the protocol was a decisive factor in the tragedy. The Public Ministry will now evaluate the inquiry to decide on formal charges and a potential request for the professional's precautionary removal from duty.