Clinic verdict compensation for small children

Verdict: High compensation for small people

05/31/2014

A hospital in Lower Saxony has been sentenced by the Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg to pay 40,000 euros compensation. In the clinic was not recognized at the today 17-year-old her dwarfism. "With the right treatment, she could have grown twelve centimeters," the court said.

The patient could be twelve centimeters taller today
The Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg has sentenced a hospital in Lower Saxony to pay 40,000 euros in pain and suffering. The verdict had been announced on Friday according to a dpa message. The dwarfism of a then eight-year-old patient from Syria had not been recognized in the clinic. The growth of today's 17-year-olds ended at 1.44 meters. If the clinician had correctly diagnosed, the patient could have grown 1.56 meters with a treatment. The court did not say in which city the hospital is located.

Court sees treatment error
The Syrian then lived with her family as an asylum seeker in Germany. She had been referred by her pediatrician to the clinic in the district court Osnabrück. In court, the clinic had stated that the girl could not have been examined to a greater extent, since this would not have been billable with the insurance certificate under the Asylum Seekers Act. However, the clinic could have derived the correct diagnosis from the findings, the court found. And thus there is a treatment error.

Doctor did not inform the father about possible therapies
Besides, the hospital doctor did not inform the girl's father about possible therapies. According to the court, the doctor should at least have told him that he could not continue to treat the girl for financial reasons. The family would have the chance to finance the treatment costs partly private. Because dwarfism can be caused by a variety of congenital or acquired growth disorders, therapies focus on the underlying cause. For example, a change in diet can compensate for a lack of nutrients or vitamins. Some patients are treated with growth hormone. (Ad)