The criminal side of the case about 10-year-old Stavros Georgiou is now final. The Appeals Court upheld the doctor’s conviction for negligence, keeping the 18-month suspended prison sentence. This means the doctor won’t go to jail.
The case is about an incident where the 10-year-old got a head injury during a school activity and was taken to Larnaca General Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department. After being checked, he was sent home, but his health got worse a few hours later. He was then moved to Nicosia General Hospital, where he had surgery but sadly did not survive.
“Medical experts say that if a neurosurgeon had been available when the child was transferred back to Larnaca General Hospital, he could have been saved.”
The Court found that during the first check-up, no skull fracture showed up on the X-ray, and they didn’t ask for a radiologist’s opinion. The incident was seen as minor, and the child was sent home without proper follow-up. The Appeals Court looked at three appeals in total. The convicted doctor wanted his conviction overturned, but that was denied. Meanwhile, the Attorney General asked to cancel the suspension of the sentence and to impose immediate jail time, but the Court decided that too much time had passed to change the original ruling.
The decision also points out the limitations of Larnaca General Hospital, noting that there was no neurosurgeon or neurosurgical clinic available at that time.
Additionally, an appeal regarding a second doctor’s acquittal was dismissed, as it was found he had little involvement in diagnosing or managing the case. The Appeals Court stated there were mistakes and oversights in how the case was handled, confirming the convicted doctor’s criminal responsibility. However, the 18-month prison sentence remains suspended with no immediate execution planned.
With information from CNA
