Red Cross paramedics and emergency officials from the San Rafael Hospital in Alajuela are at odds with each other after a 67-year old male from the United States suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest at the main international airport in Costa Rica. The discord includes allegations of refusal of care and misuse of emergency resources.

 

The man reportedly suffered a respiratory and cardiac arrest as he was preparing to leave Costa Rica from the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO); Red Cross paramedics rushed to the scene and performed advanced lifesaving procedures on the man as they transported him to the nearby hospital, which is operated by La Caja (Costa Rica’s public health system).

 

A report filed by Lady Rojas of online news daily CRHoy.com indicates that paramedics from the Red Cross are furious at medical officials from the hospital since they stopped them from bringing the victim into the emergency room. Hospital director Francisco Perez claims that the patient lost his life 50 minutes prior to arriving at the hospital, which would suggest that he passed at SJO. Red Cross paramedic Karen Cordero disagrees; she states that the patient suffered a second arrest a few meters from the emergency room and thus could have received further care.

 

Ms. Cordero feels that the patient could have been given another chance, and she added that the hospital’s refusal to admit the patient caused the Red Cross unit to remain onsite and wait for forensic personnel to arrive, something which could have been performed at the emergency room. Effectively, the Red Cross ambulance and paramedics were not available to respond to emergency calls because they were in custody of a dearly departed man from the U.S. For his part, Dr. Perez mentioned: “we are tired” of such situations.