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HEALTH

Doc charged after mum loses limbs after abortion

A gynecologist at a hospital in France has been charged this week for causing "unintentional injury" to a young mum, who had to have four limbs partially amputated following an abortion.

Published: 13 August 2015 13:25 CEST
Doc charged after mum loses limbs after abortion
The young mum who lost four limbs after an abortion is fighting for justice. Photo: AFP

A family fighting for justice after a mum of three had to have four limbs partially removed following an abortion, received a boost this week when it was revealed a gynecologist had been charged over the accident.

A mother of three, Priscilla Dray was admitted to the maternity unit of Bordeaux University Hospital for the abortion in the summer of 2011.

The operation lasted several hours and on the Friday evening the 36-year-old shopkeeper was able to return home to her family.

But the day after the operation Dray began to suffer from pain and was running a high fever. She returned to the maternity ward where an on-call doctor took a blood sample, before sending her back home.

Dray’s condition continued to deteriorate however, and on Sunday morning she was diagnosed with septicemia. 

She was prescribed antibiotics and told to return to the maternity ward, where she arrived at around noon. 

But it appears she was given the antibiotics too late from them to work, and the infection took hold resulting in tissue necrosis and eventual amputation.

Dray had to have her feet, her right forearm and left hand amputated.

Four years after the horrific incident the family's battle for justice was given a boost this week when the doctor was charged with causing “unintentional injuries” to the patient.
 
According to legal expert Jean-François Lortie, specialist in medical accidents, the gynecologist should have administered antibiotics straight after the abortion.
 
It was Lortie's report that lead to the doctor being charged, but the gynecologist's own lawyer insisted that they will seek  counter expertise.
 
“This is a complex case. For me this is not about a criminal wrongdoing. There is a chain of responsibilities, which the investigation will have to determine,” said the doctor's lawyer.

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HEALTH

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

Danish Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde has warned that, despite increasing activity at hospitals, it will be some time before current waiting lists are reduced.

Published: 10 May 2023 15:09 CEST
Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

The message comes as Løhde was set to meet with officials from regional health authorities on Wednesday to discuss the progress of an acute plan for the Danish health system, launched at the end of last year in an effort to reduce a backlog of waiting times which built up during the coronavirus crisis.

An agreement with regional health authorities on an “acute” spending plan to address the most serious challenges faced by the health services agreed in February, providing 2 billion kroner by the end of 2024.

READ ALSO: What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?

The national organisation for the health authorities, Danske Regioner, said to newspaper Jyllands-Posten earlier this week that progress on clearing the waiting lists was ahead of schedule.

Some 245,300 operations were completed in the first quarter of this year, 10 percent more than in the same period in 2022 and over the agreed number.

Løhde said that the figures show measures from the acute plan are “beginning to work”.

“It’s positive but even though it suggests that the trend is going the right way, we’re far from our goal and it’s important to keep it up so that we get there,” she said.

“I certainly won’t be satisfied until waiting times are brought down,” she said.

“As long as we are in the process of doing postponed operations, we will unfortunately continue to see a further increase [in waiting times],” Løhde said.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we retain a high activity this year and in 2024,” she added.

Although the government set aside 2 billion kroner in total for the plan, the regional authorities expect the portion of that to be spent in 2023 to run out by the end of the summer. They have therefore asked for some of the 2024 spending to be brought forward.

Løhde is so far reluctant to meet that request according to Jyllands-Posten.

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