Carlos Mur, the senior Madrid official who signed the protocols that prevented the hospitalization of elderly people suffering from Covid from nursing homes, has again referred in court to his “boss”, former Health Minister Enrique Escudero, according to the lawyer Carlos Vila family. Mur reiterated this Tuesday that Escudero was aware of these documents and had decided on the medicalization of nursing homes and the development of a protocol on hospital referrals. It is the third time that Mur, former director general of the coordination of social and health issues, has testified as a witness in court, as the investigation has been fragmented into a variety of judicial bodies depending on where the deceased lived. The most important thing about this occasion is that Mur spoke before a judge in the municipality of Collado Villalba, who is investigating the possible criminal liability of Madrid politicians, including President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
Judge María Cristina García Quesada had filed the case against Ayuso and two of his advisers when the events occurred in March and April 2020: the then head of health Escudero and the head of Justice and Home Affairs Enrique López. However, last month it was reopened by order of the provincial court and the Community of Madrid was asked for documents relating to its management. The president of Madrid said after hearing the news that she was confident that the judge was preparing the ground for the final file.
More information
Mur, who did not speak to the media this Tuesday, added that in his view the protocols were not mandatory. However, a doctor at the Sanitas Torrelodones residence said she had unsuccessfully asked the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Majadahonda up to three times to admit Luis Yanci, a sick elderly man who eventually died on April 2. The geriatrician assigned to handle transfer requests from residential homes at this public hospital refused the transfer according to protocols developed by the Ministry of Health.
Two of Yanci’s daughters, plaintiffs in this case, were waiting on the street. They were among about thirty protesters who carried crosses with the words “Victims of Ayuso” written on them. Yanci was 72 years old and suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. He was excluded from the hospital because the different versions of the protocols excluded people with a lack of autonomy.
“Despite Alzheimer’s, my father was healthy,” said one of his daughters, who wanted to identify herself as BY. During the two years at the residence, her father had been hospitalized several times, sometimes with only a few tenths of a fever. “We were very surprised when they told us he was sick but they would treat him in the hostel,” his daughter added.
What influences the most is what happens next. So you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
Subscribe to
The daughter said she had “a little hope” for a positive legal resolution, but added that “Ayuso is very untouchable.”
However, the families’ lawyer, Vila, was optimistic. “With today’s statements, it will be difficult for the judge to make another application.” He explained that of the dozens of residency cases he handles, this case has positive characteristics. Specifically, he referred to the family doctor’s referral attempts and to a report from the forensic expert of the Community of Madrid, which shows that the deceased elder should have been hospitalized.
Former Minister of Social Policy Alberto Reyero also spoke as a witness. Reyero was responsible for overseeing nearly 500 nursing homes in Madrid, housing approximately 50,000 people. However, it was the Ministry of Health that decided that these elderly people should be cared for in these group homes and not in hospitals. This Tuesday he explained to journalists that the judge had an exclusive interest in talking about the specific case rather than focusing on political decisions. The judge did not ask him about anything related to Ayuso or the other accused directors, he said. “I realize that this is a somewhat peculiar situation in that the number of defendants is limited and therefore I do not know whether (the judges) should exercise some caution in asking questions or not.”
Also called as a witness was the former Director General of Public Health, Yolanda Fuentes, who did not appear and told this newspaper that she had not received any notification from the court.
Contact the author at [email protected] or [email protected]
Subscribe to our daily newsletter about Madrid here.