"He Played God and Decided Who Would Survive": Former Děčín Hospital Employee on Doctor Suspected of Killing Patients

A former employee of a hospital in Děčín has spoken out about the conduct of a department head who is now under investigation on suspicion of administering excessive or medically unjustified doses of opioids and sedatives to patients — doses capable of causing death. According to her, the doctor effectively made decisions about patients' fates single-handedly, taking advantage of chronic staff shortages on the ward.

The doctor himself has previously told journalists that he was the victim of internal workplace intrigue and a fabricated complaint. The former nursing staff member, however, paints a very different picture — although her account cannot be independently verified.

"I left the hospital specifically because of how patients were being cared for — I didn't want to be part of it. The head of department was basically playing God, deciding who would live and who wouldn't," she told the news outlet Novinky, whose editorial team knows her identity.

According to her, the situation on the inpatient ward was made worse by severe understaffing, meaning that treatment decisions were effectively left to a single person. "On the inpatient ward, about ninety percent of the prescriptions were made by him alone. Other doctors mostly worked in outpatient care or at a neighboring unit. And things happened there that I simply couldn't come to terms with," the former employee said.

She claims the problem wasn't limited to terminally ill patients, for whom pain relief is standard practice. "There were people in their fifties and sixties who weren't seriously ill. They had an infection, a fever — and there was simply no treatment given," she alleges, adding that older patients were also frequently left without proper care.

"I'm convinced there were elderly patients who, with IV drips and standard care, would have lived longer. Maybe only six months longer, but they could have spent those extra months at home with their families," she added, noting that she had genuinely enjoyed working at the hospital but could no longer tolerate the atmosphere on the ward.

She says a grim, almost fatalistic mood gradually took hold on the ward, affecting some of the staff as well. Attempts to provide proper care were often met with resignation — the sense that there was no point doing anything for elderly patients because "they're going to die anyway."

"I was in shock. These people weren't seriously ill — they were simply old. With adequate care, they could have lived on for some time longer," she said.

The former Děčín hospital nurse also described what she called unusual interactions in some cases between the department head and relatives of deceased patients. "I personally witnessed the department head shouting at relatives," she said, adding that she had repeatedly tried to raise the issue with the nursing management.

The editorial team also attempted to reach other former and current staff members of the department, but none had responded by the time of publication.

The management of the Krajská zdravotní hospital network has firmly rejected the doctor's claims of personal revenge or workplace intrigue. The hospital maintains that the steps taken against him are based on verified professional evidence.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz