"Passes quickly"

Clinic Favoriten: Nurse suspected of murder

A nurse at the Favoriten clinic is under investigation for murder.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

A nurse at Vienna's Favoriten Clinic allegedly killed a cancer patient with an overdose of medication in September. The Vienna public prosecutor's office is investigating the murder. Internal investigations are also underway at the hospital.

"You can give Mrs. R. more, then it'll be over quicker." A nurse at the Favoriten Clinic is said to have made this remark to colleagues during a shift change on the evening of September 17. The following night, patient R., who was suffering from cancer, suddenly started gasping for breath and was dead the next morning, as reported by the newspaper "Falter". 

A nurse is now being investigated for murder, a spokeswoman for the Vienna public prosecutor's office confirmed to the "Krone" newspaper. The investigation is still in its early stages. The suspicion: the nurse is said to have administered a fatal overdose of painkillers and sedatives to the patient and failed to properly document the process.

Unclear whether drug administration led to death 
The Vienna Health Association (WIGEV) pointed out in a written statement that no autopsy results are currently available. Therefore, it cannot be confirmed that the administration of medication was the cause of Mrs. R.'s death.

A nurse at the Favoriten clinic is being investigated for murder.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The patient had terminal cancer and was receiving palliative care. The day before her death, there had been confusion regarding the quantities of medication administered. According to a spokesperson, the patient, who was already dying, was given "medication that was not prescribed in this dosage". 

Suspects at large
The public prosecutor's office is not currently assuming that there is an urgent suspicion of a crime, and the suspect is therefore at large. She is said to have told another nurse about the overdose. The criminal investigation department is now looking into whether the enormous increase in the dose of medication was deliberate in order to hasten the patient's death.

Internal investigations are also currently underway against two nurses who have already been dismissed, as confirmed by WIGEV. The employees are alleged to have failed to properly document some of the medication dispensed and thus breached internal regulations. The Favoriten Clinic had also filed the complaint.

Hacker: "No turning a blind eye"
Vienna City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) reacted to the incident with a written statement. Despite the high workload of staff, particularly in palliative care departments, there is "no turning a blind eye to documentation issues in WIGEV hospitals", he emphasized. "Ultimately, it is a question of patient safety, which is always the top priority in the hospitals of the City of Vienna," said Hacker.