Teaching hospital suspends doctor at centre of safety row

The VU teaching hospital in Amsterdam has sent home the doctor who went public about problems in the lung department.

Professor Piet Postmus had openly questioned patient safety in the department and had earlier asked whether or not the supervisory board should be suspended for failing to take action after a string of incidents, the Volkskrant reported.
Postmus is one of two doctors who have expressed their worries about patient safety in the lung department to hospital inspectors.
Supervision
Earlier this week, the inspectors said they are putting the hospital under extra supervision because of the concerns and the hospital itself stopped carrying out lung operations.
Postmus is now home on indefinite leave for failing to keep to agreements which had been made, a supervisory board spokesman told reporters.
Health minister Edith Schippers said on Wednesday the situation at the hospital is ‘unacceptable’.