Prague hospital reaches settlement in case of unwanted abortion

Bulovka University Hospital in Prague has reached an out-of-court settlement with a patient who mistakenly received an abortion due to a mix-up with another woman in March 2024. The hospital also compensated the woman’s partner, with both parties agreeing to confidentiality regarding the settlement.

The incident resulted from a grave error in which the woman, who had come for a routine prenatal check-up, was confused with another patient scheduled for a curettage procedure, which can also be used to terminate a pregnancy.

"All existing and future rights and claims arising in connection with this event between Bulovka University Hospital and the injured parties are hereby settled completely and once and for all," reads an official statement submitted to press.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but news server Seznam Zprávy speculates that the financial compensation could be in the range of CZK 2 million according to an interview with doctor and lawyer Mario Švehelka.

Language barrier contributed to tragic mix-up

The mix-up occurred when two women of Asian origin, both living permanently in the Czech Republic, were confused by hospital staff. Two employees were found responsible for the mistake, which led to the unintended abortion.

Bulovka’s gynecology and obstetrics clinic head, Michal Zikán, revealed that the affected patient had signed a consent form in Czech, mistakenly identifying her as the other woman. Though an interpreter was present during the initial consultation three days before the procedure, the interpreter was not there during the surgery itself.

Medical staff did not recognize the error during the procedure, as the patient responded to the wrong name and did not react in a way that raised concerns. According to Zikán, the patient was addressed in a standard manner, and her lack of objection to the incorrect identification allowed the error to go unnoticed.

Hospital Director Jan Kvaček acknowledged that serious mistakes were made, but he emphasized that the hospital has externally accredited procedures intended to prevent such mistakes, attributing the case to human error.

Following the tragic mix-up, the hospital promised to take additional measures, including better identification of patients facing language barriers, to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The incident sparked public outrage and highlighted the risks associated with communication barriers in Czech hospitals. Health Ministry spokesman Ondřej Jakob described the error as inexcusable.

In May, an internal investigation by Bulovka University Hospital determined that two employees were responsible for the error, and terminated the contract of one of them. Legal action has also been initiated against the medical staff involved.