Fatal Medical Error: Patient Dies After Nurse Injects Paraffin Oil Instead of Painkiller in Morocco Clinic

Operated on for problems with the urinary system, the young man felt atrocious pain and a high fever at the time of his resuscitation. Alerted, the nurse on duty informed the surgeon who recommended giving him an analgesic.

But the patient’s condition worsened, forcing the nurses to request the assistance of a duty doctor. The latter was able to note that the patient had received an injection of paraffin oil, used in skin rehydration, instead of paracetamol. A medical error that would be the cause of the young patient’s death.

The victim’s family filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office, which ordered the opening of an investigation and an autopsy at the Ghassani provincial hospital to determine the cause of death. The forensic report finally confirmed that the death was due to the injection of paraffin oil.

Appearing on provisional release, the owner of the clinic as well as three nurses remain prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter and negligence.