Maradona’s daughter: Lead doctor pushed for star’s home hospitalisation

One of Diego Maradona’s daughters has told the court investigating her father’s death that the late star’s personal doctor promoted the home hospitalisation approach that some believe contributed to his passing.

Testifying in the trial against the medical team that treated Maradona in the weeks before his death on Tuesday, Jana Maradona said that the main defendant in the case, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, was adamant the star should be treated by healthcare professionals at a home, rather than a clinic or hospital.

Jana Maradona, 30, was referring to a discussion between Luque and the former footballer’s family, in which it was decided that Diego would continue his recovery at a residence after undergoing surgery for a subdural haematoma on 3 November 2020.

“He told us we had only one bullet left and that we had to decide very carefully what to do. The house was going to be like a rehabilitation clinic, but more comfortable for my father. I felt it was the best decision,” Jana told the court in San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

She said that Luque maintained that Maradona would not agree to being admitted to a clinic.

“I was told it would be a serious home hospitalisation and that [healthcare provider] Swiss Medical would be completely at my father’s disposal,” continued the former footballer’s third daughter.

The trial, which began in April, is seeking to determine responsibility within the medical team overseeing Maradona’s home hospitalisation, which ended on November 25, 2020 with the idol’s death at the age of 60 from pulmonary oedema and cardiorespiratory arrest.

The court proceedings are examining both the conditions and the appropriateness of the home hospitalisation that Luque advocated for. Doctors at the clinic where the neurosurgery was carried out had suggested rehabilitation take place at a clinic, his daughter recounted during testimony lasting nearly four hours.

At least a dozen witnesses have described the house in Tigre, near San Isidro, as dirty and poorly equipped for medical care.

Psychologist Carlos Díaz testified this week that “the pandemic caused a major emotional downturn” for the global football star, who, he said, suffered from bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, in addition to addictions to alcohol and psychotropic drugs.

Alongside Luque and Díaz, five other healthcare professionals are facing charges of homicide with possible intent, meaning they were aware that their actions could lead to death. They could face up to 25 years in prison. An eighth defendant will be tried separately.

– TIMES/AFP