Prosecutor: Patient died at Niuvanniemi after severe pain and delayed transfer

A prosecutor is seeking convictions for a doctor and two nurses at Niuvanniemi forensic psychiatric hospital in Kuopio over the 2022 death of a patient who suffered severe pain while waiting for specialist care, Yle reports.

The patient died in May 2022 from severe intestinal paralysis caused by medication, despite resuscitation attempts, while awaiting transfer to Kuopio University Hospital. According to the prosecutor, the patient should have been sent for specialist treatment that morning after a doctor’s examination.

The prosecutor alleges the night and morning shift nurses failed to properly document and relay the patient’s condition to the doctor. Charges include involuntary manslaughter and negligent breach of official duty.

The accused—a forensic psychiatry specialist and two nurses—deny wrongdoing. The doctor maintains the patient’s deterioration was unpredictable and that earlier transfer would not have accelerated treatment. The nurses state they followed protocols and that medical decisions were the doctor’s responsibility. All deny any causal link between their actions and the death.

The North Savo District Court began hearings on Monday, with four days allocated this week. A verdict is expected in July. Court documents and the deceased’s identity have been sealed for 60 years.