The hospital said it had given full cooperation to the patient and his family to mitigate the consequences and had not experienced a similar incident. At the same time, he trains the eye clinic staff on surgery preparation.

“We view this tragic event very sensitively. We are of course in contact with those affected and we will help in every way,” said Eva Kliská, a spokeswoman for the University Hospital of Bratislava, where the Ružinov facility is located. He was very sorry for what happened. Due to the ongoing investigation and the sensitivity of the case, the hospital did not provide further details.

Markíza TV reported that news of the botched operation circulated in Slovakia today, but that the operation already took place last October. A 50 year old patient was diagnosed with eye cancer and required surgery. However, during the preparation for the operation, the aides attached the diseased eye, so the doctor operated on the healthy eye. During surgery, the diseased eye is left free and the healthy eye is glued together. After the improperly performed procedure was revealed, the doctor took full responsibility, left the hospital and resigned from all positions in the field. He is cooperating with the investigation and is willing to provide compensation, Markíza said. He tried to contact the former doctor, but he did not respond to phone calls. The patient then had to undergo surgery on the affected eye. After losing his sight, his life was turned upside down, he also got a job, added Markíza.

The Ministry of Health did not comment on the case: “The Health Care Supervision Office is working on the initiative, which is responsible for checking whether the treatment is being administered properly. Until a conclusion is reached, the Ministry will not comment.”

The authorities confirmed that they had received the complaint and indicated that they were assessing the behavior of the hospital and not of a particular worker. He has nine months to complete the review, which can be extended for a maximum of three months. If a deviant act is found, the authorities may impose an obligation to eliminate the deficiency and may also impose a fine, or a ban on practicing the medical profession, for a maximum of one year. If the provider is a legal entity, a ban on the practice of the medical profession may be imposed on its professional representative.

Meanwhile, regional police spokesman Michal Szeiff confirmed that the Bratislava police would also investigate the case.

Patients can seek financial compensation from the hospital for, among other things, pain caused or decreased social functioning – the amount can be in the tens of thousands of euros, or even more, lawyer and medical examiner Peter Kováč of the Faculty of Law of the University of Trnava told the TASR agency.

Three years ago, the Pravda newspaper wrote about a case of surgery on the wrong knee, for which the hospital in Nitra was fined 8,000 euros. The patient, former first league footballer František Rapan, then 77 years old, asked for 100,000 euros in compensation.

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