National
Bacteria causes 18 deaths in a Madrid hospital
By h.b.
May 11, 2008 - 8:51 PM

The Prosecutors’ Office is to open an investigation into the death of 18 patients from a multi-resistant bacterial infection in the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid.
El País reported on Sunday that the outbreak was in the hospital’s intensive care unit and took 20 months to eradicate.

The paper also claims that the bactiera was what it calls a ‘contributing factor’ in another 83 deaths.
Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, has described the reports of the deaths as ‘very, very serious’, while the hospital has issued a statement denying that a bacteria was the cause of the deaths.

The Attorney General, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, is now investigating the matter, while the Patients’ Rights Association, Defensor del Paciente, has called on him to extend his investigations to include the deaths of 11 other patients in the Clínico San Carlos and the Gregorio Marañón Hospital, where cases of negligence are alleged.