Mother chains herself to hospital to demand son's heart surgery

A mother in Palmas, Tocantins, chained herself to the gates of the Hospital Geral de Palmas (HGP) and later to the headquarters of the Public Ministry to demand urgent medical care for her 5-year-old son, Kauan.

Kauan, who suffers from a congenital heart malformation, requires a Fontan surgery. He is currently in the pediatric ICU, unable to walk or speak, and relies on a feeding tube. The family has been fighting for two years to secure treatment outside the state in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo.

Despite previous court orders mandating the transfer via air ambulance and the freezing of funds for the procedure, the family faced delays. Following the protest, the HGP issued a report requesting the transfer, and the State Health Secretariat announced that the removal has been authorized. The state noted that previous medical assessments had deemed the surgery temporarily contraindicated due to the child's fragile clinical condition.