Doctor faces trial in Poland after nurse died in ill-equipped ambulance transfer

Trial date set in Kozienice

A medical doctor will stand trial in Poland in November in connection with the death of a 59-year-old nurse who died during an inter-hospital transfer at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The physician, identified in court records as Małgorzata G., faces formal prosecution after allegedly approving the patient's transfer in an ambulance that lacked basic life-support apparatus. Renata Król, vice president of the Regional Court in Radom, stated that the first hearing in the Kozienice District Court has been scheduled for 5 November.

The defendant faces criminal charges for exposing the patient to an immediate danger of loss of life or severe impairment to health while bearing a duty of care toward the sick woman. If found guilty by the court, the physician faces a prison term of up to five years. The formal legal process reaches trial more than six years after the incident occurred in April 2020.

Diagnosis and transfer decision

The case dates back to the early months of the pandemic in April 2020, when the 59-year-old nurse, who worked at the hospital in Kozienice, was admitted to that hospital's internal medicine ward exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. According to statements released by the Kozienice healthcare institution at the time, the patient underwent testing three times for the presence of the coronavirus, with only the final test coming back positive.

As the nurse's health progressively worsened with acute respiratory failure, physicians determined that she needed to be moved to the specialized clinical hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) in Warsaw. Medical experts appointed by the prosecution later reviewed the case and concluded that the treatment administered inside the Kozienice hospital prior to the transfer was conducted properly. The criminal charges instead center on the conditions of the transfer authorized by Małgorzata G.

Inadequacies during the transfer

Prosecutors determined that Małgorzata G. committed an error by authorizing the transfer using an ambulance that was poorly equipped and lacked necessary medical protection. According to the investigation, the patient was already in poor condition and suffering from severe respiratory difficulties at the exact moment the transfer was approved. Despite her condition, the vehicle chosen for the journey lacked apparatus for mechanical ventilation, continuous monitoring of vital parameters, blood oxygen saturation measurement, electrocardiographic recording, and arterial blood pressure measurement.

Complications developed during the 50-minute journey from Kozienice to Warsaw. Upon reaching the MSWiA clinic, hospital personnel immediately began resuscitation efforts, which continued for one hour, but the patient died. Shortly after her death, the deputy director for medical affairs at the Warsaw clinic filed an official notification with the prosecutor's office. Expert witnesses concluded that if the patient had been managed correctly during transport, the chances of saving her life would have been significantly higher.