Woman dies after set on fire during surgery in Romania
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A 66-year-old woman in Romania has died after being set on fire during surgery, the country’s health ministry announced on Sunday evening.
The woman was undergoing surgery for her pancreatic cancer on December 22 when she was set ablaze after the electric scalpel surgeons were using came into contact with flammable disinfectant, local MP Emanuel Ungureanu said on Facebook, citing medical personnel.
A nurse poured a bucket of water over the patient but she suffered burns on 40% of her body and died a week later. Ungureanu filed a criminal complaint on Monday over the event that took place at Bucharest’s Floreaca Hospital.
“The truth must come to light and the medical staff in Romania need to know in detail what went wrong to not repeat such a tragedy,” he said. The health ministry called it a “serious case, a regrettable event that should not happen in hospital”.
Authorities launched an administrative investigation before the patient’s death on December 27 and said in a statement that a team of specialists were sent in to interview hospital staff. “We will have no mercy on those who have done wrong,” the health ministry’s statement said at the time.
