The Alrijne care group has decided to file a complaint against a coronavirus patient for deliberately exposing nursing staff to the virus. Four nurses tested positive for the virus in the days after the incident.
The incident took place on June 6 at a hospital belonging to the care group, which has locations in Leiden, Leiderdorp and Alphen aan den Rijn. It took place when an infected family member of a coronavirus patient had a conversation with the nursing staff.
The family member did not agree with the treatment plan for the coronavirus patient, and was allowed to discuss the way forward with nursing staff, provided that the infected family member wore a mask and protective equipment. However, at the end of the conversation, the infected family member took off the mask and apron.
“It is understandable that emotions can run high when it comes to the health of loved ones, but with this action Alrijne feels a line has been crossed,” says the care group to NOS. The four nurses who contracted coronavirus after the incident have not been hospitalised with the virus. The care group cannot give more information than that about their conditions for privacy reasons.
The care group says that they have no way of knowing for sure if the infection of the nurses took place during this incident or not, but say that this is not the point. “But that does not detract from what happened. It has been a shocking experience for these employees. That is why Alrijne thinks it is important to report this.”
You can follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva.
