Inside the Argentine hospital scandal where the death of babies sparked outrage
A nurse in Argentina has been sentenced to life in prison for killing five newborn babies and attempting to murder eight others at a public hospital.
Brenda Cecilia Aguero was found guilty of injecting the babies with potassium and insulin while working at the neonatal unit of a maternal and child hospital in Cordoba province between March and June 2022.
All the babies were born healthy, but their sudden deaths raised alarm among hospital staff.
Eight other babies who were targeted survived after urgent medical intervention. Investigators said Aguero accessed the drugs from emergency carts that were not properly monitored.
The court ruling, which was read out on live television, stated that Aguero will not be eligible for parole for 35 years under Argentine law.
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She had denied all the charges and claimed she had been wrongly portrayed by the media.
The case triggered a wider investigation into the hospital’s handling of the deaths and alleged failures by health authorities.
Ten other people, including senior health officials and hospital staff, were also charged with trying to hide what happened or failing to act. Five of them were convicted on lesser charges, while the remaining five, including former provincial officials, were acquitted.
The deaths shocked the country and led to widespread calls for better oversight in public hospitals.
Cordoba, where the hospital is located, lies about 600km northwest of the capital, Buenos Aires.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
