A reader asked us to publicize the matter. Last week, he left the Provincial Hospital for the Nervously and Mentally Ill in Bolesławiec. He was irritated by the fact that the deceased lie in the same room as living patients for two hours. “The body has to remain there for two hours; only afterward is it taken away,” the man says. “It’s somewhat unfair, especially toward patients who are confined to their beds and cannot leave the room.”
Maciej Jakimek, head of the neurology department and medical director, explains that this is a standard procedure used in healthcare facilities. “The regulations are unambiguous. During the first two hours, the patient cannot be taken to the morgue. They must remain in conditions that allow them to be observed,” the director explains to the IstotneInformacje.pl website. Only afterward does the hospital notify the funeral home.
According to Jakimek, the introduction of these procedures was related to doctors’ mistakes. “It happens that a person’s heart rate slows to such a level that someone inattentive could declare them dead,” he says. “In previous centuries, such mistakes must have occurred frequently. Archaeological research proves this.”
The director admits that the regulation currently in force is somewhat archaic. “Today, we can establish beyond any doubt whether a patient is alive or not. It is enough, for example, to perform an ECG,” Jakimek explains.
However, he emphasizes that those who die at the provincial hospital are always treated with due respect. “The deceased person’s bed is screened off on all sides, and the body is wrapped in a sheet,” he says. “I understand that lying in the same room as a deceased person can be traumatic for patients. But we do our best to carry out these procedures as delicately as possible,” he adds.
(ii information)