In a previous article it was explained how hospitals are corporations, not chesed institutions, and the subsequent risks that arise without vigilance.

The following article delineates another four categories of documented error and malice that have actually occurred, irrespective of the corporate nature of hospitals.

The following list is not a conspiracy theory, nor is it an attack on doctors, nurses, or hospitals. Many medical professionals are dedicated, caring, and life-saving, and we are deeply grateful for their work.

At the same time, these incidents—drawn exclusively from mainstream newspaper reporting across multiple countries—demonstrate a recurring, structural reality: once a patient is admitted, care is governed by complex systems, handoffs, protocols, staffing pressures, and financial incentives, not by individual intention alone.

This document is therefore offered as a pikuach nefesh consumer alert.

Its purpose is not to frighten, accuse, or undermine trust, but to encourage informed, respectful vigilance by families, especially when patients are elderly, unconscious, sedated, or unable to advocate for themselves.

Awareness, presence, and calm verification are not expressions of distrust; they are responsible hishtadlus in an environment where small oversights can have irreversible consequences.

A) Failure to monitor / failure to reassess (triage neglect; deterioration unrecognized)

1. Esmin Green – Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, NY (2008) Collapsed in ER waiting area; prolonged non-response; death. Source: Associated Press; New York Daily News; CBS News.
2. Brian Sinclair – Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Canada (2008) Left untriaged for many hours; deterioration not reassessed; death. Source: CBC News; Winnipeg Free Press.
3. Kane Gorny – St George’s Hospital, London, UK (2009) Dehydration after repeated failures to provide/monitor fluids; death. Source: BBC News; The Guardian.
4. Sandi Niccum – VA Medical Center, North Las Vegas, NV (2013 reporting) Long ER wait with failure to reassess/monitor; later died. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal; LA Times.
5. 72-year-old surgical patient – Lidköping Hospital, Sweden (2011) Intraoperative monitoring failure during staff absence; brain injury and death. Source: Swedish national press; international wire reports.
6. Jill Söderberg – Timrå, Sweden (2011) Emergency calls dismissed because she “could still speak”; deterioration not acted on; death. Source: Swedish media; Associated Press Europe.
7. Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust – England (exposed 2009–2013) Large-scale neglect patterns (hydration, infections, monitoring) associated with excess deaths. Source: BBC News; UK Public Inquiry reporting; The Guardian.
8. Daniella Jade Duchatel – Brisbane, Australia (2023) Coroner found deterioration/clot-risk assessment failures; death deemed likely preventable. Source: Courier-Mail (Australia).
9. Jacksonville Memorial Hospital – Illinois (2024) Sepsis deterioration not recognized/reassessed; death. Source: MyJournalCourier.com.
10. Bryonny Sainsbury – Midland Regional Hospital, Ireland (2021) Delayed transfer and hospital errors after injury; death later acknowledged/apology reported. Source: Irish national press; court reporting.
11. Kanpur hospital – India (reported 2025) Living patient mistakenly documented as dead; reassessment/identification failure (near-catastrophic). Source: Times of India; NDTV.
12. Multiple NHS maternity units – UK (2015–2020) Repeated maternal/infant deaths with warning signs ignored; pattern reporting. Source: BBC Panorama investigations.
13. California hospitals – Sepsis deaths (2010s) Deterioration without timely reassessment/vitals response; deaths. Source: Los Angeles Times investigations.
14. Florida ER stroke patients – United States (2010s) Stroke signs mis-triaged/ignored; sent home; later deaths. Source: Tampa Bay Times.
15. Rom Houben (“locked-in” misdiagnosis) – Belgium (reported 2009–2010) Patient long labeled vegetative while conscious; catastrophic diagnostic/assessment failure. Source: Reuters; BBC News.
16. Sweden “conscious while death/organ donation discussed” case (2010s reporting) Patient aware while prognosis/organ donation discussed; assessment failure. Source: Swedish press; international reporting.
17. Premature newborn – Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, India (2012) Infant reportedly removed from incubator over nonpayment; died. Source: India Today.

B) Wrong medication / wrong concentration / wrong route / override events (documentation and chain-of-order failure)

18. RaDonda Vaught case – Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN (2017) Wrong drug via override (paralytic instead of sedative); death. Source: Associated Press; The Tennessean; New York Times.

19. Philadelphia-area hospital – Pennsylvania (2018) Medication error resulting in irreversible brain injury (Vanderbilt-type pattern). Source: Philadelphia Inquirer.

20. Texas pediatric patient – Houston area (2010s) Adult-dose medication due to charting/ordering failure; death. Source: Houston Chronicle.

21. Heparin overdose infants – U.S. hospitals (follow-ups 2008–2012) Massive dosing/stocking/labeling error; catastrophic harm and deaths reported. Source: New York Times; Associated Press.

22. Wrong-dose / insulin administration deaths – UK hospitals (2010s) Repeated fatal hypoglycemia events tied to insulin errors. Source: BBC Health.

23. Chemotherapy drug mix-ups – United States (2010s) Wrong drug/route; fatal outcomes reported. Source: New York Times; AP Health.

24. Florida toddler – Potassium overdose (2024) Dose/decimal-type error; fatal overdose. Source: New York Post; regional Florida press.

25. Stamford Hospital – Connecticut (2017) Post-delivery death tied to systemic mismanagement found by jury reporting. Source: Stamford Advocate.

C) Diversion/substitution (patient receives less/no drug; staff steals/switches)

26. Abbott Northwestern Hospital – Minneapolis, MN (2010/2011 reporting) Nurse diversion of fentanyl; patient suffered extreme pain during procedure. Source: Star Tribune.

27. Yale Fertility Center – Orange, CT (events June–Oct 2020; reporting 2024) Nurse replaced fentanyl with saline; patients received inadequate analgesia. Source: Associated Press.

28. Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center – Medford, OR (events 2022–2023; reporting 2023–2024) Nurse allegedly stole fentanyl and replaced IV drips with tap water; infections and severe harm; deaths discussed in reporting/litigation. Source: Associated Press.

29. Multiple VA hospitals – United States (2010s) Narcotics diversion; patients received saline instead of pain medication. Source: Washington Post investigative reporting.

30. New Jersey hospitals – Opioid diversion cases (2015) Nurse siphoned opioids; patients under-medicated/exposed to risk. Source: New York Times; Associated Press.

31. Florida surgical unit – United States (2010s) Anesthetic diversion; patients awoke during procedures. Source: Miami Herald.

D) Intentional poisoning/sabotage (criminal pattern; strongest evidentiary class)

32. VA Hospital, Clarksburg, WV – Reta Mays victims (2017–2018; charged/plea 2020) Insulin injected into non-diabetic patients; multiple deaths. Source: Washington Post; Associated Press; VA OIG report.

33. Countess of Chester Hospital, UK – Lucy Letby victims (2015–2016; conviction 2023; continuing reporting) Neonatal nurse convicted of murders/attempted murders. Source: BBC News; The Guardian; Reuters.

34. Stepping Hill Hospital, UK – Victorino Chua victims (2011–2012; conviction 2015) Insulin contamination/tampering; deaths and collapses. Source: BBC News; The Guardian.

35. Delmenhorst/Oldenburg hospitals, Germany – Niels Högel victims (reported 2015–2019; conviction 2019) Serial killings via medication overdoses; multiple patient deaths. Source: Der Spiegel; New York Times; Reuters; AP/CBS.

Practical Recommendations for Hospital Admissions

1. Never assume that medications ordered were actually given. A doctor’s order in the chart does not mean the medication reached the patient. A family member should quietly track the medication name, dosage, route, and exact time given. A neutral way to ask is, “Can you please tell me what was just given and when the next dose is scheduled?” This is verification, not accusation.
2. Know exactly who ordered every medication and procedure. Many actions in hospitals are initiated by residents, covering physicians, or nursing protocols rather than the personal or attending physician. Ask calmly, “Was this ordered by the attending or primary doctor, or is this a standing protocol?” If it was not ordered by the personal physician, that distinction matters.
3. Track all drips, IV changes, and medication switches. Drips are frequently changed during shift changes and at night. Each time a bag is changed, ask, “Is this the same medication and concentration as before?” Most serious errors occur during handoffs or when families are absent.
4. Never leave elderly, unconscious, sedated, or confused patients alone. These patients are at the highest risk. If family cannot be present around the clock, create a rotation. Silence and absence are often mistaken for stability, but they are not.
5. Watch for failure to reassess. Once a patient is admitted and appears stable, reassessment often slows or stops. Be alert for changes in breathing, confusion, pain, responsiveness, or sudden changes in the care plan. Ask respectfully, “Has the doctor reassessed him today?” or “When were the last vitals reviewed by a physician?”
6. Know insurance coverage days in advance. Do not wait until coverage ends. Ask early how many days insurance covers at the current level of care and what changes when coverage ends. Many treatment changes occur the day coverage stops, not because the patient improved.
7. Use respectful language that keeps staff cooperative. Tone matters. Avoid accusations, raised voices, or threats. Use calm repetition and curiosity. Phrases that work include, “I just want to understand,” “Can you help me follow the plan?” and “We want to stay aligned with the doctor’s intent.”
8. Ask for names and write them down quietly. You do not need to announce that you are documenting. Simply note the nurse’s name, the resident’s name, and the time. Quiet documentation often improves attention and accountability without confrontation.
9. Request an ethics consult early when something feels off. Ethics consults are standard hospital tools, not attacks. They are appropriate when treatment changes suddenly, procedures are pushed aggressively, or goals of care feel unclear. Asking early signals seriousness without hostility.
10. Integrate halachic guidance with accurate medical facts. Rabbanim and poskim can only guide properly when they have precise information. When asking a she’eilah, provide exact medications, dosages, proposed procedures, risks, and alternatives. Do not rely only on hospital summaries.
11. Understand that hospitals are corporate systems. Hospitals are not evil, but they are governed by reimbursement, staffing pressures, and liability concerns. This reality requires vigilance, not paranoia. A passive patient becomes inventory, while an informed family becomes a partner.
12. Do not confuse Hatzolah or Bikur Cholim with hospital care. Hatzolah saves lives before admission. Bikur Cholim provides chesed during admission. Neither controls medications, drips, reassessment, or insurance-driven decisions. Family presence fills that gap.
13. Rotate advocates to prevent fatigue and mistakes. Exhaustion leads to silence. Set a simple rotation so someone is always present, someone is tracking medications, and someone is communicating with doctors. Consistency matters more than intensity.
14. Escalate calmly if concerns are ignored. If something feels wrong, repeat the question, ask for the charge nurse, ask for the attending, or involve patient relations. Escalation done calmly is responsibility, not aggression.
15. Treat hospitalization like a high-stakes transaction. Approach hospital care with more diligence than a home purchase, not less. The stakes are higher, the system is more complex, and the margin for error is smaller.
16. Frame all of this as hishtadlus, not distrust. The Torah does not ask us to be passive. It asks us to be responsible. Sharing these practices openly is not cynicism; it is pikuach nefesh.
17. Just to clarify, of course any result that occurs is only from Hashem, as we say in the first ikar of the thirteen ikkarim, that He is the Manhig for all creatures. However, irrespective of that, the Torah tells us that there is a mitzvah of v’nishmartem; there is a Shulchan Aruch; there is recourse for damages. It is not a contradiction, as delineated in perek 4 of Chovos HaLevavos, Shaar HaBitachon.

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