Criminal probe after 15‑month‑old dies following multiple paediatric visits

The police have opened a criminal investigation after a 15‑month‑old girl died following several contacts with paediatric services and the emergency department at Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell. The child’s parents filed a complaint alleging possible negligence, prompting the inquiry.

According to the family and local reports, the child was first seen by her regular paediatrician on Friday and was sent home after the consultation. On Saturday the parents returned to the hospital’s emergency department twice; clinicians reportedly diagnosed a probable cold on both occasions and discharged the child. Hours later her condition deteriorated and an ambulance was called. Accounts differ as to whether she was certified dead shortly after midnight or died en route to the hospital.

Police said they received the family’s complaint on Sunday and began standard investigative procedures, including taking statements from staff who attended the child. The case was transferred to the Batllia on Monday and is now judicialised; it has also been notified to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Forensic examinations have been ordered to establish the cause of death.

The Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària (SAAS) has opened an internal file to review the clinical care provided and to verify whether protocols and clinical guidelines were followed on the day of the incident and during preceding shifts. Hospital management met the family to offer initial explanations, while stressing that forensic results will be needed to determine the precise cause of death. No further clinical details have been released while procedural and forensic inquiries continue.

The death has provoked shock in the hospital and local community. A funeral held at the Church of Sant Pere Màrtir in Escaldes‑Engordany drew hundreds of mourners who came to support the bereaved family.

Separately, local media and hospital sources report an increase in complaints about paediatric emergency care, citing cases of perceived diagnostic errors, inadequate follow‑up and requests for review of protocols. Some families have described returning to the emergency department multiple times before receiving a different diagnosis or further testing. SAAS says the current review will examine the care pathway and compliance with established procedures.

Both the police investigation and the SAAS internal review remain ongoing, and authorities have not released additional clinical information while enquiries continue.