Tafida Raqeeb case: High Court to rule on treatment withdrawal for critically ill girl

The uncle of a critically ill five-year-old girl has said the family will “never give up” fighting for her.

The High Court is ruling today on whether Tafida Raqeeb should be allowed to go to Italy for specialist treatment that her family hopes could save her life.

Tafida suffered a traumatic brain injury in February and clinicians at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel have said there is no hope for her, and being allowed to die is in her best interests.

At a vigil ahead of the High Court decision, her uncle Johrul Islam said she was showing signs of improvement.

He added: “Anyone that met her for a few minutes absolutely fell in love with her, a lot of people say that about children, but she really was different, she really was.

“She has a chance of getting better, and we’re not expecting a miracle cure, we’re not saying that she will get back 100%, but we’re happy to accept her how she is, we’re a very tight-knit family, we will be there to support her, help her get better.”

Tafida, from Newham in east London, suffered a rare condition which caused a tangle of blood vessels with abnormal connections between arteries and veins and has been on life support ever since.

Doctors from a hospital in the Italian city of Genoa examined Tafida via video link and told her family they are prepared to care for her.

Tafida’s cousin Tahira Ahmed was also at the vigil and described her as “adorable”.

She said: “She is one loving, adorable girl, she was with me most of the time, whenever I used to go round to their house, and she’s not a girl to have her machine switched off.

“I don’t want that. I want her to go to Italy and live…everyone wants her alive not dead we want to save Tafida.”

Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the Royal London Hospital, said: “This is a sad situation, in which our teams continue to work very closely with the family to include them and offer our support.

“Our expert clinicians caring for Tafida consider, in discussion with additional medical experts from specialist centres outside of the Trust, that further medical treatment would not improve her condition and would not be in her best interests.

“We recognise how difficult this is for all involved and, in accordance with national guidance from the General Medical Council in complex cases, are seeking the expert opinion of the High Court to ensure the Trust and the family provide the most appropriate care.”

(c) Sky News 2019: Tafida Raqeeb case: High Court to rule on treatment withdrawal for critically ill girl