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The death of Claudia Mesa Rodríguez, a 15-year-old girl from Santiago, has shaken the city and raised painful questions about the care she received at the Northern Children's Hospital, known as "La Ondi."
Your case was disclosed by independent communicator Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who spoke with family members and followed the young woman’s progress since she was admitted in critical condition.
Claudia was a cheerful, active girl, full of energy. She spent the weekend with friends, went to the river, and nothing suggested that, days later, she would be fighting to breathe, says Mayeta Labrada.
On Wednesday, she began to feel unwell, experienced difficulty breathing, and was taken to the hospital. There, it was confirmed that she was diabetic and had contracted a virus that also affected members of her family.
However, the care process left deep doubts among those who were by their side during those three days of agony.
According to reports to Mayeta Labrada, there were delays in providing her care, there were no means to transport her, and they had to carry her. Despite the procedures applied to remove fluids, her kidneys did not respond. The teenager went through several critical episodes and in the last one, she was unable to recover.
"There are questions that still have no answers," wrote the communicator, reflecting the anguish of a family that is still trying to understand what happened inside the hospital and whether anything else could have been done to save her.
In a country where shortages of medical resources, broken equipment, and lack of supplies are part of daily life, Claudia's death reignites concerns about the precariousness of the Cuban healthcare system.
Mayeta Labrada also revealed that the first message she received about the teenager was at 9:47 p.m. on Wednesday, when a relative contacted her in desperation asking her to publicize the situation and to stay vigilant.
“I never imagined that message would be the last breath of hope and that the teenager would be Claudia,” he lamented. “That first message came seeking help. This second one comes seeking comfort.”
The young woman's body was laid to rest this Saturday at the funeral home in Santiago de Cuba. Her burial, initially scheduled for the afternoon, had to be moved up to 10 in the morning because the body began to release fluids, according to her relatives.
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