For 1,5 years he wore a 19 cm long spatula in his stomach. The case was handled by the Patient’s Rights Ombudsman

A patient of one of the hospitals in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship walked for 1,5 years with a metal spatula 19 cm long, which was left in his abdominal cavity during the operation. The medical facility did not want to admit its mistake.

  1. Only the intervention of the Patient Ombudsman and the expert opinion helped the injured man obtain compensation in the amount of PLN 65. zloty
  2. Before the operation, “the diagnosis of the abdominal cavity was carried out and it did not reveal the presence of any foreign body” – said the verdict
  3. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

If not for another hospitalization, by the way, in the same hospital as before, the man would still live unaware that in his abdomen there is an almost 20 cm medical instrument.

“Nevertheless, he was discharged without any indication of what to do next – he was not even told whether surgical removal of the foreign body would be needed” – informs the Patient Ombudsman, who dealt with the case.

Finally, a lawsuit was brought to the District Court in Rzeszów. The case was brought by the Patients’ Ombudsman. The goal was to help the patient obtain compensation.

The patient got compensation

«During the removal operation gallbladder in one of the hospitals in the Podkarpackie province, a metal spatula 19 cm x 2 cm (!) was left in the patient’s abdomen»- we read in the lawsuit of the Patient’s Rights Ombudsman.

Hospital officials denied all allegations, claiming that a foreign body might have been left in the patient’s body during a previous surgery. This, in turn, took place in the 60s. In addition, at the same facility.

The case finally reached its final stage. Ultimately the court found the hospital guilty (based on an expert opinion). “With a probability bordering on the possibility that the metal tool was left behind, it occurred during the last operation, before which, moreover, the diagnosis of the abdominal cavity was carried out and it did not reveal the presence of any foreign body” – was the verdict.

  1. See also: The cruelest therapies in the history of medicine

As a result, the court awarded the injured party compensation in the amount of PLN 40. The Ombudsman for Patients’ Rights, however, found that the amount was too low, and therefore appealed. Ultimately, the Court of Appeal in Rzeszów upheld the institution’s right and increased the compensation to PLN 65. zloty.

See also:

  1. Mrs. Beata from Świecie woke up during the operation. She was traumatized
  2. She thought she had gained weight. It turned out she had a 15 kg tumor in her belly
  3. One million Poles are in mourning. “Let’s stop another wave of the great dying”

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