The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation into the involvement of the denialist doctor from Formentera, Ángel Ruiz-Valdepeñas, in a childbirth that took place in a private house in the northern part of the island of Ibiza.
According to the Department of Health, the infant born after the delivery encountered complications and fell into cardiorespiratory arrest. Ambulance staff resuscitated him and transported him to Can Misses Hospital, where it was decided that he would be admitted to Son Espases (Mallorca). According to the same sources, his health is critical.
The Guardia Civil has stated that it is investigating whether this doctor attended the birth despite the fact that he has been suspended from professional activity for six years by the College of Physicians of the Balearic Islands, making him ineligible to practise.
According to the Guardia Civil, the presence of this doctor in the house during the birth is verified, but not his participation as a doctor.
The father of the baby called
According to health sources, the birth occurred last Monday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The father of the newborn called the 061 number, which instantly dispatched a medical ambulance. They summoned the Guardia Civil at 061 to “activate a green alert to the hospital” in Ibiza. This alarm is generated when the ambulance requires police escort in order for the vehicle to maintain a constant speed and avoid making sudden stops or fast turns.
When they got at the house, the disqualified doctor was “performing out CPR manoeuvres on the baby,” who was in cardiac arrest, according to health sources.
The newborn was recovered by emergency medical personnel and brought to Can Misses Hospital, where he was left in control of the paediatric transport unit. According to the same sources, it appears that this doctor, who is barred from practising medicine after being reprimanded by the Official College of Doctors of the Balearic Islands for six years, would have charged 1,900 euros for attending this birth, a detail that neither the Guardia Civil nor the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
The College of Doctors
Neither by the College of Doctors, whose vice president, Carles Recasens, revealed yesterday that the collegiate organisation is awaiting the outcome of the investigation before deciding whether to act through an internal procedure or prosecute the doctor in court. “Our legal services will study these days” how the college will proceed if Ruiz-Valdepeas participated in the delivery.
“We are quite worried by this news because this doctor has been suspended from membership and cannot practise in either the public or private spheres.” Recasens noted that the Guardia Civil is conducting an investigation and warned of the importance of the “near term ramifications” because “there is a newborn that requires hospital care.”
The College of Doctors’ disqualification precludes him from practising “either in the public or private domain.”
The College of Doctors has no record of Ruiz-Valdepeñas’ participation in this birth or any other medical practise since he was disqualified in May 2021.
They are aware that the doctor has “continued to affirm his denialist discourse, against vaccination, and the Balearic and national health authorities’ recommendations against covid.”
When asked about the matter, Patricia Gomez, Councilor for Health and Consumer Affairs, said yesterday that it is in the hands of the courts and that “we will have to see what happened and what that individual was doing there” in reference to the doctor Ruiz-Valdepeñas.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.