A doctor in Lower Bavaria is suspected of murder. He is said to have administered morphine to a patient in a hospital in Kelheim without medical reasons and thereby killed the man, as the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office announced. She has filed charges against the doctor, who has been in custody since the end of April.
The Landshut police and the public prosecutor’s office were investigating several deaths in a Kelheim hospital. It was said that employees classified these cases as concerning. However, the charges only relate to the death of a 79-year-old patient on July 9, 2022. The other cases are still being investigated.
The public prosecutor’s office relies on reports
As the public prosecutor announced, she accused the doctor of discontinuing the patient’s previous medications “contrary to medical indications” and ordering the administration of morphine. “The accused himself is said to have increased the dosage to such an extent that it would lead to the patient’s death in the foreseeable future.”
The man died a day later. The public prosecutor’s office bases its charges primarily on a medical report, according to which there was no reason to change the treatment of the alleged victim. The administration of morphine was not initiated and led to the man’s death.
According to the information, the suspect had two reports submitted, which came to a different assessment: the change in therapy to palliative care was justified. Palliative treatment no longer fights the disease itself, but rather relieves the pain.
The public prosecutor accuses the doctor of having acted insidiously and for base motives. The prosecution did not provide any information about the possible motive. The presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction. The Regensburg regional court must decide whether to allow the charges.
