QCOSTARICA – A 10 year old girl was the mastermind behind the escape that she and a 6 year old friend staged at the Hospital Nacional de Niños (HNN) – Children’s Hospital in San José, where they were being hospitalized at the request of the children’s welfare agency, the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI).
The director of the medical centre, Olga Arguedas Arguedas, said that it is possible that girls may have had “assistance” of an adult.
The director admitted a failure in the hospital’s security protocol, allowing the two young girls to be able to walk out of a hospital side door without being noticed, from there taking a taxi to he home of one of the girl’s stepfather.
The oldest child was at the hospital since February 19, the younger since February 26, under medical care for suspected abuse. The two young girls were on the third floor ward, along with 28 other patients.
“The oldest hatched the plan that had been planned in advance. The girl says she does not want to be in the care of the PANI, the younger followed for the same reason, adding she doesn’t like the medication being given to her,” said Arguedas.
The hospital is reviewing the security monitors, to determine how the two young girls were able to make it out of the hospital unnoticed, with the idea of prevent a similar situation.
The two girls were back at the hospital Sunday night.
