Against state’s indifference  Bryan is 10 years old and has West Syndrome, a neurological condition that causes progressive rigidity. His family claims national and local authorities the recognition and coverage for his treatments. To afford them they had to sell their business, the car, get a mortgage and still have two pending auctions. by Sonia Santoro In addition to the difficulties which represent for him & his family daily challenges, they deal with the failure of the national State and the city of Buenos Aires to assure an adequate treatment for his health. "They propose hospitals and therapies which have brought no benefit for him. When we have had to go to hospitals he was infected by intra-hospital viruses which complicated him even more and had to see private doctors for treatment”. Now, for example, we need his vitamins and are not delivering them. We asked for his wheelchair in 2004 and have not obtained it yet, we already had to buy two since then", lists his father, Sergio Balzano. "Because of the disability that Bryan suffers, he has the right to treatment that will best equal him to the rest of society, a law that has constitutional status", raises his lawyer, Varina Suleiman. The Balzano’s claims started in 2002. With every administrative option consumed, on April 2007, the Balzano family filed an action requesting "the cessation of the omission" regarding "the right to health" of his son Bryan, and “to be given the coverage to the 100 percent of medicines and treatments needed to alleviate his illness". After passing through various judges, the cause is in now at the Federal Civil and Commercial Court No. 5, in charge of Judge Jorge Anderson. There, their parents explain that Bryan was born with lack of oxygen and neurological problems that developed to a psico-motor delay, with epilepsy crisis of difficult control. “The prognosis was always negative, and one day we were told ‘there is nothing we can do for him’. Bryan had very low weight and was skinny. He seemed to be in a vegetative state, getting worse every day, totally sedated and with no neurological response to stimuli. “ He didn´t recognize us, his own parents, and much less was he conscious of the rest of the world –they explain-. We even got to a combination of eight anticonvulsivant medicines simultaneously administrated (in the day) but he didn´t get better. Conventional treatments produced no results. Life expectancy for Bryan was of around six years." Trying to extend and improve the life of his son, Sergio Balzano and Alejandra Bogado researched for other treatments not covered by the nomenclature of the health system. Their health insurance refused to recognize these treatments. But with these therapies Bryan was really improving. And that is how they sold their family business, the car, had a double mortgage on their house and have two pending auctions. Today they can no longer face the costs of his treatments. The legal claim was presented against The Federal Programme (Profe) of the National’s Health Ministry of Argentina and the Health’s Ministry of the City of Buenos Aires, because Bryan’s social security is Profe, the medical coverage for people with non contributive or graciable pensions who live in this city. There, they claim for the coverage of treatments and mobility expenses for Bryan and the payment of all pediatric and homeopathic medications, with every need required, listed or not in the nomenclature. They ask that those treatments continue to be executed by the specialists who are already seeing Bryan. They are therapies which may not be in the official nomenclature but which are conducted by experienced doctors, not by ‘healers’. “The Healths Ministry should bear in mind that although the nomenclature is a rule, they should consider exceptions”, says Suleiman, lawyer to The Citizen’s Power Foundation, who, together with Mauro Benente and Laura Trabuch, from the Free Legal Advice at the Law Faculty of the UBA (University of Buenos Aires). In June 2008, the city’s of Buenos Aires authorities said they would guarantee the child’s healths need throughout the Garrahan’s Hospital. "But we are asking for treatments which are not available there. It is a terrible mistake because if they had checked what is being asked for, with this hospital’s possibilities, they would have known that is not what we are asking for" Suleiman explains. Balzano explains they already had a bad experience previously: "He was already hospitalized and he underwent a column punction, for something which was senseless. There he catched an intra-hospital infection, which we had to treat out of the hospital, privately. On July 2008, the National’s Health’s Ministry answered that they were not aware that traditional medical option scould not answer to Bryan’s disease. And paralelly to the legal presentation, invited Sergio Balzano to a meeting in which, regarding Balzano, “they didn’t offer something new, but everything that is done at hospitals, and a suggestion which alarmed me: to try again with the medicine in the nomenclatures and see if this time it worked… after my child’s life had been so seriously in danger”. They also suggested that they should pay for expenses and then ask for reimbursment, something they are already doing for years now, but which never occurred. On September 8, they presented another legal claim asking that while the base situation was resolved, the state would cover for precise odontologic treatment, considering West Syndrome seriously affects dental development and health. Consulted by Página 12 newspaper, the city’s Health Ministry did not accept to speak about this case, while the Nation’s one did not answer the request. The Balzano family lives in Mataderos, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the only financial support they receive are the $ 250 (argentine pesos) = U$S 66 US Dollars per month of the disability pension. Sergio designs web pages and Alejandra is exlusively dedicated to her son’s care. Bryan’s disease is consequence of medical negligence during childbirth, which seems endless. There are still no answers. Source: www.pagina12.com.ar San Lucas 10: 25-37
| NOTES ISSUED IN ARGENTINA |
Source: La Nación http://www.hacercomunidad.org/Nota.aspx?IdNota=2569 Source: La Nación http://www.hacercomunidad.org/Nota.aspx?IdNota=2576 In Spanish 
Source: Página 12 http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-111610-2008-09-15.html 
Source: Crítica http://criticadigital.com/impresa/index.php?secc=nota&nid=17750 
Source: Diario Show http://www.diarioshow.com/notas/2009/08/06/15786-la-lucha-de-bryan.html
| OFFICIAL LINKS TO OTHER SITES |
Advanced Biomechanical rehabilitation inthe World - A method for rehabilitation supported by the Canadian government Argentina, Canadá, Chipre, Bélgica, Austria, Dinamarca www.abrtherapy.com.ar www.abrteraphy.com www.blyum.com www.abrbelgium.com http://members.aon.at/abr_austria/page_1_1.html www.abr-denmark.com
| | | those who have supported us during these years of struggle In Spanish |
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You think that with your help it is possible that a special child
have a better life? Sure, it's P O S S I B L E! With Hope and work to build a better future!  http://www.con-esperanza.com.ar/Testimonios_De_Vida.html
Day after day we seek for ways to accomplish the rehabilitation and best outcome for our son Bryan. Unfortunatelly, the costs for specialists and therapies which have worked for him are expensive. Social security in Argentina won't pay for alternative therapies, or those which are not in the nomenclature, no matter if it is demonstrated, as in our son's case, that it is the only thing that has showed possitive effects, helping him achieve a much better health and quality of living and -most important- without causing him dreadful side effects (as when he was put under 7 different anticonvulsivant drugs). If you wish to help in his struggle to get better, you can do it by becoming a sponsor (please contact us at abrbryanfg2@gmail.com or familiabalzano@fibertel.com.ar or at +54 9 11 6143-2325), or by donating at anytime. We have a benefic account, in the Nación Argentina Bank: 
We wish to thank the Nación Argentina Bank and all of their offices throughout Argentina Benefic account number for all offices of Nación Argentina bank: 14048824/9 For online deposits: CBU: 01100143-30001404882497 C.U.I.T. NUMBER: 20-18629212-0 In the case of companies that wish to make a donation, we have the support of a foundation that the interim order with clarity and transparency. Will also bill for the amount donated in the name of the company for tax credit.
Thank you so much for your support ! 
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