New complaints of fatal delays at cutback-hit Catalan clinics
Man dies of a brain hemorrhage after waiting six days for a scan at Barcelona hospital
Two new deaths have been linked to the spending cuts in Catalonia's public healthcare system, which appears to be causing the near-collapse of many emergency services.
A 51-year-old man died of a brain hemorrhage at Vall d'Hebron Hospital after waiting six days for an MRI that was carried out only when he was already bleeding from the nose, just minutes before his death. His wife blames a lack of hospital beds, which caused the victim to be sent home despite his critical condition. "It wasn't negligence, it was the spending cuts," said María del Carmen M.
Meanwhile, a couple has said their baby died due to power failures at Sant Pau Hospital, where Cristina R.G., 34 weeks pregnant, was admitted with an abdominal infection that required urgent surgery. The 30-hour delay before the operation took place allegedly caused the baby's death through infection. Both families have filed complaints, while neither hospital would comment on the cases, citing patient confidentiality. Vall d'Hebron is already being investigated over the death of a woman from an aneurysm after her operation was delayed for several days.