A grave medical mix-up occurred at Bulovka Hospital in Prague, where a woman four months into a healthy pregnancy received an abortion by mistake. 

The patient, who had been scheduled for a routine prenatal check-up, was sedated and subjected to a surgical procedure known as curettage, which led to a miscarriage.

“An adverse event occurred at our Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic,” hospital spokeswoman Eva Stolejda Libigerová told CNN Prima. “According to the findings so far, as a result of serious violations and non-compliance with internal regulations by the employees concerned, an operation was started on an incorrectly identified patient.”

The spokeswoman added to Prahain.cz, which broke the story: “We expressed our deep regret and apology to the patient and her entire family for this unfortunate event and assured her that we will do everything to mitigate the damage as much as possible and also compensate her.”

“As an accredited teaching hospital, we have clearly defined rules and procedures that our medical staff is obliged to follow without exception,” the spokeswoman said. “The affected staff of the clinic is placed off duty pending a full evaluation of the adverse event, with the understanding that, in the event of a violation of binding work procedures as part of the current internal investigation, specific individuals will be held personally liable.”

The incident, reported to have taken place on March 25, involved a case of mistaken identity in which the procedure was intended for another woman at the major Czech Republic teaching hospital.

The Shadow Health Minister, Kamal Farhan, spoke on the matter, stating that if this act of medical negligence is confirmed, proper compensation for the affected mother is warranted. 

“However, no financial compensation can truly make up for the maternal loss suffered,” Mr. Farhan said.

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