Tucumán medical negligence trial

A trial has commenced in Tucumán, Argentina, involving three healthcare professionals accused of involuntary manslaughter. The case concerns the 2016 death of eight-year-old Matías Juárez during a tonsil and adenoid surgery at Sanatorio San Lucas.

Prosecutors allege the medical team, including Álvaro Páez, Federica María Carolina Castro, and Florencia María Jerez, failed to conduct necessary exams that might have detected an ischemic stroke. The prosecution claims the surgery lasted longer than usual due to bleeding that was not adequately investigated or treated, leading to severe complications such as shock and vomiting blood.

A Tucumán court has since acquitted the three doctors involved in the case. The boy died approximately four days after the scheduled tonsillectomy at the private clinic. While the family maintained that the child appeared stable before the procedure and had no prior complications, his health deteriorated rapidly afterward. Following the verdict, the boy’s mother, María Luna, expressed profound distress and announced her intention to appeal, while criticizing the investigation process and the role of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.