Auch eine Krankenschwester aus Celje hat sich nicht schuldig erklärt, die Identität von Patienten zu verfälschen.

A medical nurse from Celje has refused to admit guilt in a case involving the alleged swapping of identities of two patients at the emergency department of the Celje hospital in September 2022. The hearing took place at the District Court in Žale, where the accused nurse denied wrongdoing, as did her co-defendant, a nurse from the Sevnica Health Centre who had previously appeared before the court in September. The defense of the accused nurse, who faces charges of negligence in service, proposed the establishment of a medical care expert assessment. According to her lawyer, Tjaša Godunc, the opinions of doctors so far have not enabled a comprehensive evaluation of the accused’s conduct, which, according to the defense, was in accordance with professional standards and the triage system guidelines from Manchester. Godunc explained that the defense aims to prove during the evidentiary process that the allegations in the indictment are unfounded and that the accused's actions do not contain legal indicators of the alleged criminal act. The prosecution agrees with the proposal for the establishment of a medical care expert assessment but insists on maintaining the indictment and proceeding with other evidence. It suggested the testimony of witnesses and an examination of documentary records. Among the proposed witnesses are employees of the Lok House for the Elderly near Zidani Most and the General Hospital in Celje, along with family members of the patients. The defense also highlighted a report on an extraordinary professional inspection at the Celje hospital in 2022, which, according to their assessment, is crucial for evaluating the allegations. The prosecution did not comment in detail on the content of the report but emphasized its continued adherence to the indictment. The defense attorney of the accused nurse from the Sevnica Health Centre, Boštjan Podgoršek, submitted a legal nature objection during the September hearing. He stated that the accused was not a public employee at the time of the incident but worked through a student service. He expects the court to accept the objection and halt the criminal proceedings. For the crime of negligence in service, a fine or imprisonment up to three years is threatened. The trial is expected to begin in November. Two severely ill residents of the Lok House for the Elderly near Zidani Most were transported to the Celje hospital in September 2022 using the same ambulance. The exchange of their identities occurred in the triage room of the hospital’s emergency center during the handover of the patients between the rescue staff from the Sevnica Health Centre and the hospital staff. Neither of them had identification wristbands. The rescuers had medical documentation for each of them, but they carried it together, separate from the individual patients, and did not have it with them throughout the time of each patient. This led to the exchange of documents, and thus the identity of the patients. During treatment, one of the patients died. Due to the identity mix-up, the family of the wrong patient was informed of the death. They discovered the incorrect identification after the deceased had already been buried. Another accused nurse, Marija Klinc from the Celje hospital, also denied the charge of negligence in service during today’s hearing. Her lawyer proposed the establishment of a medical care expert assessment. The trial is scheduled to start on November 25. According to the prosecutor, Davorina Hovnik, both nurses, Teja Žarn Kozole from the Sevnica Health Centre and Marija Klinc from the Celje hospital’s emergency center, are responsible for the identity switch four years ago. Žarn Kozole denied the charge during the September preliminary hearing, while Klinc denied it today. Despite the current handling at the district court in Žale, it is still unknown exactly what happened at the General Hospital in Celje, as the prosecutor has not yet presented the indictment. She will do so when the trial begins on November 25. The fact remains that the two residents from the Lok House for the Elderly were called to the Sevnica health centre on September 7, 2022, needing transport to the Celje hospital. One had pneumonia, the other had a urinary tract infection. They were picked up around 17:00, but neither had an identification wristband. The Sevnica health centre staff handed over the documentation separately from the patients. One of them died 37 hours after admission. They learned about the death on September 9, and the family of the second person found out on September 13 that the person would return to the Lok House. Only upon his arrival the following day did the staff realize they had brought the wrong resident. On September 14, the family had already buried the incorrect pensioner, but that evening they discovered that their father was still alive. Marija Klinc is a mid-level nursing assistant performing the duties of a senior nurse. She earns 1,200 euros per month. Some patients described her as “one of the best nurses.” At the time, the Minister of Health, Danijel Bešič Loredan, immediately held a press conference, calling the story “shocking, difficult, and actually unbelievable.” He added that the son was not told that his (alleged) father was critically ill but was only informed that he had died: “He was not offered the chance to go to the mortuary and say goodbye,” he said. “If they had allowed him to visit, he would have immediately realized that the deceased was not his father.” Bešič Loredan apologized to the families and offered assistance, including help with bureaucratic matters, and hoped this would “at least ease the emotional stress and distress of both sons, who learned of their father’s death under such circumstances.” Following the incident, the director of the hospital, Aleksander Svetelšek, who had only been in the position for half a year, and the technical director, Franc Vindišar, resigned. The internal technical inspection and systemic control at the Celje hospital indicated that the identity swap occurred during the triage of the emergency center, but the commission did not identify the direct perpetrator: “During the inspection, it was found that several systemic shortcomings likely contributed to the identity swap between the two patients.” The death of one of the patients was not due to incorrect treatment, as they were treated based on the clinical picture of their acute illnesses and not on documentation. However, some days later, the other patient also died in another hospital. There were no healthcare professionals among the commission members. The defense attorney of 58-year-old Marija Klinc, lawyer Tjaša Godunc, proposed the establishment of a medical care expert assessment today, which should evaluate whether her client acted in accordance with professional standards and doctrine.