The Generalitat Valenciana will pay out €60,000 to a 45-year-old man after he lost a testicle due to a delay in emergency care at Vega Baja hospital.
The incident occurred on March 2, 2015, when the man began to suffer from pain, nausea, dizziness and swelling at around 11 in the morning. He went to the Emergency Department of the Vega Baja Hospital at 1.15 pm but was not operated on until 9.00 pm. Had he had the operation earlier, testicular loss would possibly have been prevented.
The Supreme Court this week ordered that the man be paid compensation for the resulting cosmetic damage, although the plaintiff initially asked for €120,000 in damages for cosmetic damage, loss of fertility and the resulting anxiety. However, the Supreme Court ruled out the latter claims for not having been accredited by experts.
The Director of Emergencies commented that the delay in intervention was “due to the increase in the demand for care and that at 3:00 p.m. there is a shift change”, something that the Patient Ombudsman has criticized, saying “this excuse unacceptable” , and adding that “the change of shift should not result in a healthcare failure as serious as this”.