Doctor fined over patient death at Niuvanniemi Hospital in Kuopio

A district court in North Savo has fined a doctor 50 day-fines, totalling over €5,000, for causing a patient’s death at Niuvanniemi psychiatric hospital in Kuopio in May 2022.

The court found the doctor ignored nursing staff reports and medical records when assessing the patient, who died from intestinal paralysis after severe abdominal pain. The doctor based the diagnosis on outdated records and delayed transferring the patient to emergency care, where proper treatment would have been available.

Charges against two nurses for negligent breach of official duty and causing death were dismissed. The court ruled they had acted correctly by documenting and relaying the patient’s condition to the next shift and the on-call doctor.

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) stated the death could likely have been prevented with timely treatment. The doctor denied the charges, claiming the patient’s condition was unpredictable and difficult to detect.

The court sealed the trial documents and the patient’s identity for 60 years. The ruling is not yet final.