Man dies on steps of health centre

A judge is investigating the death of a man at the door of a PAC or health centre in Arenal. Rafael Morales Castells, aged 72, died of a heart attack on March 15 at 4am at the door of the health centre, which was closed, although it is supposed to provide a 24-hour service. The man's daughter, Beatriz Morales Garcés, has filed suit for negligence at the court. She claims that people were knocking at the door, ringing the bell and shouting for ten minutes but nobody answered. Sr Morales had survived seven heart attacks. He was rushed to the PAC in search of oxygen by the owner of the hostal where he lived with his wife. The hostal was just one street away from the PAC. His daughter says that nobody knows what would have happened if the doors had been opened, but she claimed that on a previous occasion, when she had to accompany a friend to the same centre, she found the doctors sleeping at 4pm on a weekday. Beatriz Morales, who is 24, said that her father was already dead when she arrived, half an hour after being notified. She claims that when the doctor on duty finally opened the door at 6am, he claimed that nobody had been there all night. She says that she has two witnesses supporting her version and claims that it was a clear case of refusal of aid. She said an ambulance had been called, but the hostal owners decided to take her father to the centre in search of oxygen while they waited for it to arrive. The news comes less than two weeks after a young Scottish woman here on her honeymoon died of an asthma attack in Santa Ponsa. In that case, the PAC to which she was taken was closed and it took several minutes before the porter opened the door. The woman's family are reported to be considering the possibility of taking legal action.