No apology

Hospital must pay for “many transgressions”

The 83-year-old sued the Horn Regional Hospital and the Lower Austrian Regional Health Agency for numerous cases of medical malpractice.(Bild: Molnar Attila)

The medical history of a long-suffering pensioner runs to 1500 pages. After years of litigation, the 83-year-old is now receiving compensation for the ordeal she suffered.

All she had asked for was an apology. "That has yet to materialize," explains the 83-year-old, visibly disappointed. What the patient has already received, however, is 5000 euros in compensation from the Lower Austrian Provincial Health Agency. A small consolation that weighs all the more heavily. Because the conditional settlement was not only preceded by a martyrdom of "incorrect treatment" at Horn Regional Hospital, but also by a legal dispute at Krems Regional Court that lasted almost four years.

The Lower Austrian woman struggles with the consequences of an abdominal wall rupture (symbolic image).(Bild: HANS KLAUS TECHT)

What still robs the woman from Waldviertel of sleep today originated in the long-suffering Corona period in 2021. Since then, the former nurse has been struggling with the consequences - more precisely, with the consequences of an abdominal wall rupture. After an overnight operation at Horn Regional Hospital allegedly went wrong, a new procedure was performed just 13 hours later a few centimetres away.

Many inconsistencies remain
The stomach ulcer that had broken through, complete with wound inflammation and a burst abdomen, apparently turned out to be a duodenal ulcer. Apart from the psychological stress, such as sleep disorders and anxiety, the pensioner is reminded of her ordeal every day by wearing her bandages.

The settlement achieved helps to finally put an end to the martyrdom she suffered. But law and justice look different.

83-Jährige nach dem Prozess

"Why was this done to me?" the 83-year-old repeats relentlessly. But the list of negative experiences is much longer: from an untreated broken ankle to a forgotten drainage after a breast cancer operation to massive water retention throughout her body.

Primary care physician no longer wanted to treat pensioner
"I'm not a drama queen. Maybe that was the mistake," says the 83-year-old. After all, both psychological and surgical expert opinions must be questioned by the woman from Waldviertel. "We have to take note of the settlement, but we are not satisfied," explained defense lawyer Timo Ruisinger.