Patient Loses Chance to Receive Kidney Transplant After Waiting Six Years Due to Hospital Mistake



[ad_1]

Mr. Kim, who is in his 50s this year, lost function in one of his kidneys about 25 years ago due to vascular stenosis. And in 2014, he was diagnosed with kidney failure at St. Mary’s Hospital at Seoul Catholic University and began peritoneal dialysis the following year.

To make matters worse, Kim was diagnosed with early kidney cancer in 2019 and removed the remaining kidney from her body.

Due to this condition, Mr. Kim has completely lost function of his kidneys and is unable to urinate. As a result, Mr. Kim’s body swells in the afternoon because he cannot release his body by-products such as urine. Mr. Kim spends eight hours at home every night doing peritoneal dialysis to remove moisture and toxins from his body.

Still, Mr. Kim had high hopes and expected to one day get a kidney transplant to live a normal life like everyone else.

Indeed, he had submitted documents to the hospital for a kidney transplant during the dialysis procedure in 2015. For Mr. Kim, who lives alone without a family, the kidney transplant is urgent.

The average wait time for a kidney transplant is about 5 to 6 years. Mr. Kim said that when asked how long to wait for the transplant, the medical staff would ask him how many years he was waiting and since his 3rd or 4th year of dialysis he said he would soon be receiving a kidney donation.

However, in August last year, Mr Kim, who thought he could get a transplant soon, received shocking news that he was not listed as a candidate for a kidney transplant.

Mr. Kim said: “When I was hospitalized six years ago, the hospital said it was necessary to register as a transplant patient, so I filled it out and handed over the appropriate documentation. but when i recently checked with the hospital i was not registered.

This was due to a mistake made by the hospital. A hospital official explained: “The organ transplant center is in charge of registering candidates for organ transplantation, but it seems that Mr. Kim was not registered by mistake in 2015. “

The official said: “The medical staff, who confirmed the patient’s intention to register for a transplant, should have provided the information to the organ transplant center, but they did not. We apologize. “

Mr. Kim, who learned late that he was not registered, registered last year as a candidate for the transplant. However, according to the Statistical Yearbook of Organ Transplantation and Human Tissue Donation (2019), 25,465 patients are waiting for a kidney transplant like Mr. Kim, and the average wait time for transplants is 2,196 days. therefore, Mr. Kim has to wait another 5-6 years.

Mr Kim asked Seoul’s St. Mary’s Hospital and the National Long-Term Tissue Blood Management Institute, which oversees organ transplants, to adjust his wait time, but he was refused because they said it was impossible.

He also filed a complaint with the hospital because he has to wait many more years for a kidney transplant due to a hospital error. However, the hospital shows no sign of willingness to correct their mistake.

In addition, the Medical Dispute Mediation Arbitration Service claims that there is no way to resolve this issue as it is not a medical accident.

Seoul Catholic University’s St. Mary’s Hospital has offered KRW 20 million (~ $ 18,063.60) in damages to Mr Kim, who now has to wait many years for a kidney transplant.

Mr. Kim said: “I just want the relevant agencies to come forward, recognize the hospital error and correct it. “



[ad_2]

Source link