Woman with stoma complains about Losiny thermal spa in Czechia

A woman with an ileostomy says lifeguards at the Termály Losiny thermal park wanted to remove her from the pool because of her stoma. Park management flatly denies this and is threatening the couple with legal action, while the ombudsman reminds the public that denying access to people with disabilities can amount to discrimination.

“They wanted to throw me out of the pool because of my ileostomy. It was humiliating, and I felt discriminated against,” said Drastikova. In her words, had someone less resilient been in her place, they might never have gone to a pool again.

The couple’s version

According to the couple, the two lifeguards had several reasons for wanting the woman out of the water. First they were told that the visiting rules prohibit people with such a condition from entering the pool. “It was said that the stoma could contaminate the pool and it would have to be drained because of us,” said her husband, Petr Drastik. They tried to explain that the pouch is secure and its contents will not get into the water, because his wife constantly keeps an eye on it.

When the couple showed that the rules do not ban a stoma, a new explanation appeared: the stoma bothered the staff because it was visible. “In the end they said we were offending other visitors, that people have to look at this. When I asked whether anyone had complained, they said not yet, but it could happen,” Drastik said. Despite the remarks and a suggestion to wear a closed swimsuit that hides the stoma, the couple stayed at the baths for the whole time covered by their ticket.

The couple wrote about the incident on social media, and an avalanche of comments followed under their posts. Most of those taking part in the discussion sided with the couple.

The thermal park’s version

Termály Losiny itself describes a different course of events. “Staff responded to questions from other guests and checked the procedure for such a situation. The visitor was not asked to leave and was not escorted out of the complex; she used the thermal park. We are sorry that the situation was unpleasant for her,” the park said.

Park representative Miroslav Slany, answering a direct question, described the case differently still. According to him, the lifeguard first approached the woman because of a violation of the visiting rules: she had not followed the rules on moving sun loungers. The conversation about the stoma, Slany claims, was then deliberately started by the visitor herself, and staff assured her that no one was discriminating against her and that she was not banned from the pool. The lifeguards merely asked the complex’s operations director whether they were acting correctly.

Slany also said that no other guest had complained about the woman with the stoma. The lifeguards only explained in general terms that people sometimes come to them with questions about hygiene. He rejects the claim of tactlessness: one of the employees even shared her own experience to show understanding. He called the accusations of discrimination and of being asked to leave a lie that damages the park’s reputation, and said the baths are considering legal steps against the couple.

Drastikova responded: “Yes, in the end we stayed. But that does not mean we were not asked to leave or that nothing happened. We stayed because I know I am doing nothing wrong, and a stoma by itself is no reason to exclude me from the pool.” They had visited this complex before, and nothing like this had happened. “What matters to me is respect, understanding and decent treatment of people with health limitations. Not conflict and not a wish to become famous,” the woman added.

The ombudsman’s position

The possibility that the lifeguards’ conduct amounted to discrimination also follows from a statement by Iva Palkovska, head of the equal treatment department at the Office of the Ombudsman. “Refusing entry or imposing another restriction can be discrimination against people with disabilities if there is no objective and legitimate reason for it,” she explained.

A legitimate reason might be, for example, the safety of the person and of others, but it must always be a real risk that cannot otherwise be avoided. Special rules must not rest on prejudice or narrow ideas of what suits people with disabilities. “It is unacceptable to refuse people with disabilities merely so that others do not have to look at them,” Palkovska warned. People can defend themselves against discrimination with the service provider itself, and also by turning to the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, the ombudsman or a court.

Around Prague guide on the topic: Thermal resorts in Czechia: the 11 best spas and water parks

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz