Hospital criticized for asylum seeker's death
A 25-year-old asylum seeker suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage died after doctors sent him to emergency psychiatric care without ever performing a physical examination.
The Blekinge Hospital in Karlskrona in southern Sweden has been reprimanded by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare following the incident, which occurred in February of 2007, but was only recently reported to the Board.
Despite that the man was throwing up and repeatedly shouted that he was suffering from headaches, the doctor on call felt that the man was suffering from anxiety and that his screaming was simply a “byproduct of the asylum process”, according to local media.
Only after visiting the hospital several occasions over a three day period was the man able to have his head x-rayed.
The images revealed a small hemorrhage in the man’s brain and he was taken to Lund for surgery.
The 25-year-old was judged to be feeling well following the operation but when he was about to be sent home he lost consciousness and collapsed.
Diagnosed with a large cerebral hemorrhage, the man was taken in for emergency surgery but doctors were unable to save his life.
The Board of Health and Welfare criticized the hospital for taking three days to come up with the right diagnosis and for waiting 14 months to report the incident.
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The Blekinge Hospital in Karlskrona in southern Sweden has been reprimanded by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare following the incident, which occurred in February of 2007, but was only recently reported to the Board.
Despite that the man was throwing up and repeatedly shouted that he was suffering from headaches, the doctor on call felt that the man was suffering from anxiety and that his screaming was simply a “byproduct of the asylum process”, according to local media.
Only after visiting the hospital several occasions over a three day period was the man able to have his head x-rayed.
The images revealed a small hemorrhage in the man’s brain and he was taken to Lund for surgery.
The 25-year-old was judged to be feeling well following the operation but when he was about to be sent home he lost consciousness and collapsed.
Diagnosed with a large cerebral hemorrhage, the man was taken in for emergency surgery but doctors were unable to save his life.
The Board of Health and Welfare criticized the hospital for taking three days to come up with the right diagnosis and for waiting 14 months to report the incident.
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