During an operation, a man suffered a serious medical error: doctors removed his evil eye.
- This is the first time that such an incident has occurred in this hospital.
- In France, there are approximately 450,000 medical errors each year.
This mistake cost him his sight. A man went to Ružinov Hospital in Bratislava, Slovakia, to have his eye removed following a medical problem. When he woke up after the operation, he was blind: the doctors removed his bad eye, leaving him with only one non-functional eye. His story is told in the Slovak media Teraz.sk.
The medical team has changed service
“The hospital provided the patient and his family with all possible support to mitigate the consequences, both medical, psychological and social.“, said Eva Kliská, the spokeswoman of the university in which the hospital is located. According to her, the operation was carried out by a recognized ophthalmological team. Since the incident, they have been dismissed: the surgeon in charge of the operation can no longer operate.The staff of the ophthalmological clinic who participated in the operation have been changed from service: they now work in pre-operative preparation.
According to the spokesperson, a working group has been created to improve protocol and security. At the same time, an investigation is underway to understand the origin of the incident. “The case is taken up by the Office of Health Care Monitoring, which is responsible for verifying whether health care has been provided correctly, the Slovak Ministry of Health told the media. Until the findings are available, the Department of Health will not comment on the case.“
Compensation ?
According to Peter Kováč, associate professor of criminal law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Trnava, lawyer and medical examiner, the patient may be compensated for this medical error. To Teraz.sk, he explains that this compensation can compensate for pain or the impact on social, personal and professional life. The amount can exceed several tens of thousands of euros according to him. This kind of case can be settled amicably between the hospital and the patient, but this legal professional believes that it will be settled this time in courtgiven its seriousness and media coverage.
How to react in the event of a medical accident?
In France, in the event of an accident or medical error, a patient has ten years, after stabilization of his state of health, to initiate a procedure. “Recourse concerning a medical error can target two types of objectives: recourse for compensation for damage and recourse to obtain the modification of practices and/or the sanction of the professional or establishment in question.“, precise France Assos Health. In all cases, an expert will have to assess the damages.
