A shocking story of a doctor from Gorzów Wielkopolski. He returned to work at the hospital after he was released from prison. After two months behind bars, it turned out that his arrest was not justified. Two thousand doctors from all over Poland wrote a letter in which they emphasize that the charge of murder is not justified. Dr. Kadukha disconnected a terminally ill patient from life support. A friend from the same hospital reported him to the prosecutor's office.
“Fakty” TVN met with Andri Kadukha at the Provincial Hospital in Gorzów. Kadukha has already returned because the management wants him to continue working there. The doctor is 27 years old, a resident, specializing in anesthesiology. In January, he disconnected the patient from life support.
The prosecutor's office charged the doctor with murder
The 86-year-old patient was terminally ill and there was no chance of saving him – this was confirmed by the investigation of a special commission established by the hospital immediately after the incident. However, the District Prosecutor's Office in Gorzów charged Andri Kadukha with murder and issued an arrest warrant, and the court approved the order.
An embittered young Ukrainian from Mariupol, who has been working in Poland for three years, has a nostrified medical diploma and passed the Polish language exam, decided to resign from being a doctor while in custody. – With such an accusation, I still didn't see myself particularly in this profession – admits Andrii Kadukha, a doctor at the Provincial Hospital in Gorzów.
– A person has remorse about everything: about being born, because, for example, he exposed his family to suffering. My mother probably still cries every day, said Andrii Kadukha.
He changed his decision after it turned out that they still wanted him in the hospital in Gorzów.
Ukrainian doctor charged with murder. “The matter probably has some deeper meaning”Marzanna Zielińska/Fakty TVN
The doctor is free, but the investigation continues
Doctors from all over the country stood up for the resident. Two thousand doctors signed a letter demanding his release. At a press conference, specialists in the field of anesthesiology, headed by Professor Mirosław Czuczwar, confirmed that continuing to keep the patient disconnected from the equipment would be a futile therapy. Eventually, the case was taken up by the National Prosecutor's Office and even the Prosecutor General.
– Mr. Adam Bodnar forwarded this appeal to the National Prosecutor to order an audit of this case at the National Prosecutor's Office, and such an assessment was carried out – says Anna Adamiak, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General.
The audit showed that the prosecutor's office in Gorzów charged the doctor with murder without having the key evidence, i.e. expert opinions.
– This may be surprising for people because they expect rescue, but we try to explain to families and loved ones that, unfortunately, we must take into account that a person has the right to life, but also to death. No matter how sad it is, people can die in the hospital too. None of the doctors have bad intentions, says Andrii Kadukha.
The doctor is free, but the investigation continues. – It is crucial for me to understand that my decision did not affect the patient's fate – Kadukha sums up.
Main photo source: Fakty TVN