Patrick Ekeng's doctor charged with manslaughter

Officials in Romania has charged the doctor who attended to late Cameroonian player Patrick Ekeng with manslaughter.

A public prosecutor Thursday ruled that emergency doctor Elena Duta was guilty of the charge.

Ekeng, collapsed shortly after coming from the bench in a match involving his team Dinamo Bucharest and Viitorul Constanta in May. He died after hospital staff were unable to resuscitate him.

It was ruled the Doctor made no attempt to resuscitate the player.

“The Doctor(Elena Duta) did not evaluate the footballer’s state of health and made no attempt at resuscitation.

“Even if among Patrick Ekeng’s causes of death were the cardiac problems he suffered from, by his unjustified inaction Elena Duta removed any chance of survival,” the Prosecutor said quoting forensic scientists as saying 95 percent of people with similar heart problems survive cardiac arrest if defibrillation is administered within 60 seconds.

Ekeng joined Dinamo in January but nothing untoward was detected medically.

He previously played in France, Switzerland, and Spain.

His death shook the footballing world and brought to the fore the debate of the cardiac related deaths and how rampant it has become in the sport.

Ekeng’s funeral was held in Yaounde last month. He made his debut for Cameroon in January 2015.