Brain Drain Blamed for Hospital Death

An 83-year-old man has died in Poland after allegedly receiving poor hospital treatment linked to the "brain drain" of medical staff to richer EU countries.

An investigation has been launched in the southern town of Raciborz, where the man died from complications said to have been caused by an underqualified anaesthetist. The pensioner died on July 3 after an operation for an intestinal blockage.

Gazeta Wyborcza, a Polish newspaper, reported yesterday that an anaesthetist had failed to empty the patient's stomach and provide enough oxygen. The man had a severe choking fit, which was stopped by a more senior anaesthetist. The operation went ahead but the patient died as he left theatre.

Under the headline, He died because there were not enough anaesthetists, Gazeta Wyborcza reported that an agency anaesthetist had been appointed after 10 of the hospital's 13 anaesthetists walked out after rejecting a pay offer.

Anaesthetists are able to increase their salaries by as much as 300% by moving to the Czech Republic or Britain.

The hospital denied that the patient's death was caused by the anaesthetist. But Przemysawa Janowiecki, a senior figure in the local health authority, has launched an investigation. "We have a very serious suspicion that the doctor improperly anaesthetised the patient," he said.

The death may serve as a illustration of the impact of Poland's brain drain. Around 5,000 doctors have left over two years and 14% of anaesthetists have applied for a certificate to work abroad.