A doctor accidentally removed the wrong eye during an operation, leaving the patient blind. The incident occurred after a major mix-up at a hospital in Slovakia.
A patient was set to have surgery on his damaged eye. However, the doctor accidentally removed the patient’s good eye, leaving him blind.
The hospital has now offered the victim and his family psychological care and support to process the horrifying mishap.
Slovakia’s TASR news agency reported that a Bratislava University Hospital spokesperson confirmed that the doctor who performed the operation was no longer in contact with patients. Slovakia’s health supervision authority has now launched an investigation into how such a shocking error could occur.
It comes amid a turbulent time for the Slovak health sector, with an industrial dispute rumbling on over pay and working conditions. Slovakia has seen a large exodus of medical staff, particularly to the Czech Republic and Austria.
Pressure on those doctors left in the country has increased significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic and last week the LOZ union said around 3,000 doctors were considering quitting unless their work conditions improved.