Why did woman die after hospital transfer?

A 60-YEAR-OLD woman recovering from major cancer surgery has died just two days after inexplicably being removed from the intensive care unit.

According to Alithia newspaper, which reported the story, the 60-year-old woman was recuperating after having undergone an operation to remove a malicious tumour in her abdomen.

She did not bounce back from surgery, however, and had to be placed on a respirator at the Nicosia General Hospital, where she stayed for two weeks.

During this time, it was reported that she was intermittently taken off the respirator, but as her health did not improve, was placed back on.

Meanwhile doctors were reassuring her family that the patient was in stable condition.

But last Friday they decided to move her to the Oncology Centre, saying nothing more could be done for her there.

Two days later, the woman passed away.

According to the paper, the decision was taken out of the blue in the absence of her personal physical, who was abroad at the time.

But the controversial decision to move the woman was taken without even informing her relatives.

Her daughter had been spending all her time outside ICU, sleeping and eating there. She had even left hospital staff her mobile number so they could contact her at any time in case the mother’s condition deteriorated.

Instead, the daughter was told nothing of the move, which took place around noon on Friday.

When she sought her mother at her usual place in the ICU, she was shocked to see the woman was not there, fearing the worst.

The paper noted that, while the woman’s condition might have been terminal, she still should have not been taken off the respirator, as it represented her last hope to pull through.

The columnist for Alithia wondered whether a public figure would have received the same sort of treatment and whether double standards apply when a “nameless person” is concerned.
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