The National Health Fund (NFZ) has launched an inquiry into the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman in a hospital in Pszczyna - Health Ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz told TVN24 on Tuesday. He added the ministry would refrain from commenting on the issue until the inspection has been completed. The hospital issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the doctors and midwives had done everything they could to save the woman and her baby.
Attorney Jolanta Budzowska said in social media last week that a 30-year-old pregnant woman had died in a hospital in Pszczyna, because the doctors were to wait for the foetal death. In her opinion, the woman's death was a consequence of last year's ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, banning nearly all abortion in Poland.
The prosecutor's office is examining the case. The director of the hospital in Pszczyna said "making judgements" at this stage of the inquiry "is not exactly wise".
Inspection in the hospital
TVN24 reporter asked the Health Ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz if the government took some action over this issue. "The minister ordered the chairman of the National Health Fund to inspect this case, this situation in the hospital in Pszczyna," he replied.
He added that it was hard to "assess this situation from Warsaw perspective", and that the control would "determine if there were any irregularities". "We would like to refrain from commenting until the control has been completed. This is a quite dramatic situation. Any words additionally inflaming the situation and raising the tension are unnecessary," Andrusiewicz added.
Hospital: doctors and midwives did everything they could
The hospital in Pszczyna issued a statement on Tuesday regarding the death of the woman. "We share the pain of all those who have been stricken with the death of our patient. Especially her relatives," we read.
The hospital added that the doctors were motivated strictly by care for health and life of the patient and the foetus. "The doctors and midwives did everything they could, they fought a heavy battle for the patient and her baby. The full medical procedure is subject to prosecutor's assessment and it is not the time to make any judgements," the hospital said.
Furthermore, the hospital said in the statement that the assessment of the legal situation regarding abortion was "a separate case". "It needs to be stressed, nonetheless, that all medical decisions were taken in line with the regulations currently binding in Poland," we read.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24