The
OLIVE PRESS
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MALLORCA
Your voice in Spain
Andalucia versus Valencia in the Michelin star battle
Vol. 7 Issue 178 www.theolivepress.es April 5th - April 18th 2024
See page 14
A BRITISH woman who died during a cosmetic procedure in Mallorca has been named as model Donna Butterfield. The 30-year-old, from Wrexham, Clwyd (pictured) travelled to the Balearics to have a slight imbalance corrected following a breast enlargement by the same surgeon several years prior. The beauty entrepreneur, who ran her own hair extension company, died in September after complications during the procedure. Following her death, family and friends launched a fundraiser online to bring her home and give her ‘the best funeral we could.’ Her friend posted on Facebook: “Because of everyone’s efforts Donna is now back home in Wrexham where she belongs. None of this would have been possible without you. “The pain we are all going through, especially her family, has been eased and could not be more thankful to every donation, share and message received during these last few weeks.” Three surgeons were accused of homicide following an investigation by Policia Nacional. It was found that one of the suspects, Mateo
expat
Justice for Donna Verd Vallespir, 69, had flouted a ban from practicing to perform the fatal operation. The martial arts expert was jailed for a year last June and was struck off for three years following the death of another patient, 45-year-old Fatima Cherkaoui, who died a day after liposuction on March 7, 2017. It is believed that both Fatima and Donna, the latter of whom had a pre-existing heart condition, died as a reaction to anaesthetic. Donna went into cardiac arrest after her surgery and died two weeks later at Son Espases Hospital on September 13. It was revealed in November that the third doctor involved in the operation had died in Switzerland with a terminal illness. He lived outside Spain after ‘many decades’ of work in clinics across Europe.
NO TO NOLOTIL!
THREE major private hospital groups have vowed to stop handing out Nolotil to at-risk patients after being contacted by the Olive Press. Grupo Ribera on the Costa Blanca, plus HCB and the Helicopteros Sanitarios group all told this paper they were committed to banning the drug for northern European and American patients.
Important
The companies said they were following important central government advice issued in 2018, which came about after medical campaigner Cristina del Campo took the issue to the national courts. News of their re-commitment comes after we launched a campaign in February to stop handing out the lethal painkiller also known as Metamizole - to expats and tourists. The drug - which is banned in around 40 countries - is believed to be behind at least 100 deaths of foreigners in Spain. The majority died after their
Clinics and hospitals across Spain vow to crackdown on ‘killer drug’ after Olive Press campaign white blood cell count plummeted due to side effects from the drug, manufactured in Germany. Grupo Ribera, which has many facilities on the Costa Blanca, made a similar promise, saying: “We advise against the prescription of Nolotil given that a significant part of the (local) population is foreign and is therefore at risk of these complications.” And despite the Olive Press receiving a number of reports that patients have received Nolotil in HCB hospitals, the Costa Blanca group assured us this week they are now ‘following’ Madrid’s recommendations. “We are very aware of the recommendation not to prescribe Nolotil to foreign patients,” insisted the spokesman. A spokesman for Helicopteros told the Olive Press: “Due to our geographical location
ever have continued to happen, most recently with 42-year-old British expat Mark Brooks who was prescribed Nolotil in At least 11 patients have December 2023. die d after taking MetamWhen we discovered othizole in Andalucia, a governers had also died following EXCLUSIVE ment report shows. prescription, we felt we By Yzabelle Bostyn needed to act again. After nearly 700 people The region has logged on the Costa del Sol our patients signed our petition urging at least 141 cases of come from all over the world health facilities to follow agranulocytosis brought on and so we are particularly aware the rules, we began asking by the drug. of the side effects that Metam- hospitals and local health izole can have. authorities for their com“For this reason, our medical mitment. In Andalucia alone, staff are committed not to ad- So far, we have received there have been at least minister this medication to our eight responses, with five 709 reports of complications patients.” pledging to follow AEafte r taking Metamizole. Other hospitals, including MPs advice. Grupo HLA, declined to Most notably, the Some 58% of Metamizole comment. Junta de AndaKILL The positive steps come prescriptions in Andalulucia stated that THE two months after we cia are currently for longer ‘knowing the risk launched a second camDRUG of agranulocytosis than 180 days, while 38% are paign to have the danger(low white blood for longer than a year. ous drug banned for tourcell count) associists and expat foreigners. ated with metamOur first campaign in izole’, its hospitals 2017 ended when AEMPS now follow the of(The Spanish Agency for Cantabria and Castilla-La Manficial health advice. Medicines) ruled in 2018 The Junta added it should cha, also claimed to be following that Nolotil must only be only be used for short pe- AEMPS advice, while Madrid reused by patients for short periods of time, ideally no longer fused to comment. riods of time. than a week and that any pa- The drug has already been tients given the drug should be banned outright in Catalunya, Died closely monitored using blood while it is also outlawed in many countries including Sweden, The ‘informative note’ meant tests. America and the UK. Sensationally, a spokesman also they should be monitored and have regular blood tests to de- revealed to us there had been Opinion Page 6 141 reports of agranulocytosis tect any severe reaction. at the hands of Metamizole in It further ruled the drug should also NOT be given to tourists A n d a and others ‘who would not have lucia, 11 access to such controls and of which were famonitoring’. It must also be available by pre- tal. See page 2 scription only and on a case- O t h by-case basis, with a patient’s er local medical history and risk factors a u t h o r ities, inalso taken into consideration. Despite the advice, deaths how- c l u d i n g
Nolotil in numbers
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