A resident of the Val d'Oise department in northern France died in the emergency room waiting to be examined by a doctor, Report informs via BFMTV.
The patient arrived at the Simone Veil Hospital in Eaubonne complaining of abdominal pain. Severe swelling was visible on her legs. She stayed in the waiting room for more than 10 hours, and she was given a simple painkiller. The patient’s condition noticeably worsened after sitting in the waiting room all night. Only after this was she finally admitted to the therapy department, but half an hour later she died.
The daughter of the deceased 66-year-old French woman filed a complaint, saying that hospital staff explained their inaction by saying that, despite the symptoms, the patient “showed no signs of a grave ailment.”
The hospital administration said in a communiqué that it was investigating the incident, pointing to an "overload of medical personnel."
In recent years, the situation in the medical field has worsened in France. Due to an acute shortage of specialists, many hospitals are closing. Entire regions remain without access to medical care. In some communities, the ambulance service does not operate at night due to a lack of staff.
In October 2023, hundreds of people demonstrated in the French city of Quimper, demanding that the local hospital be kept open around the clock.