Four Women, four Births that turned into nightmares at Venizeleio Hospital

It was November 2021 when a 33-year-old woman from Heraklion, Crete, found out she was pregnant for the second time. Her first pregnancy had gone smoothly, giving her a sense of security for this new phase in her life. She chose to be monitored by the same obstetrician-gynecologist who had cared for her previously, working at the maternity ward of Venizeleio Hospital. But this second pregnancy would be nothing like the first. From the early weeks, she experienced severe, relentless, and exhausting vomiting. Doctors dismissed it as typical pregnancy symptoms. But as the months went on, her condition worsened instead of improving. By the fifth month, she was unable to eat or drink anything. Her body could not retain any form of energy. Her husband, helpless to assist, watched her wither before his eyes. “I couldn’t eat, drink, live,” she said. “I was like a plant. I survived on nothing.”

By June 2022, she couldn’t take it anymore and admitted herself to the hospital. They attempted to feed her. It failed. The vomiting continued. A gastroenterologist recommended an urgent endoscopy and esophageal dilation. Neither was performed—”because she was pregnant.”

On June 13, labor pains began—premature contractions. Doctors aimed to delay the birth for a few hours to administer injections to help develop the baby’s lungs. The couple begged for a cesarean section. The attending physician was adamant: “Not necessary.” The birth proceeded naturally. The baby was born alive. It breathed. It cried. And shortly after, it died.

The first surgery failed to reconnect her esophagus and stomach. Her body shut down. A second surgery was required eight days later. She was fed intravenously. No water. No food. Just tubes and drops of hope. In August, she was transferred to the Hippocrateio Hospital in Athens, where she spent four months in a special unit trying to regain basic bodily functions. Recovery was no longer the goal—survival was.

“Today I weigh 32 kilos”

“Today I weigh 32 kilos,” she states with plain despair. “I’m under the care of a nutritionist from PAGNI and on special medication. We’re trying to increase my weight, but my body isn’t cooperating. We started at 32 kilos. Every gram is a victory.”

She weighed 45 kilos when she became pregnant. By seven months, she dropped to 43. After the ordeal and surgeries, she fell to 32. “My life changed. I’m not the woman I used to be. I can’t live like before. I can’t forget that my baby died because I was starving. And I almost died for the same reason.”

She Entered to Give Birth, Came Out with Severe Brain Damage

In early 2022, a 36-year-old farmer from Heraklion and his wife were preparing for their third child. The pregnancy was progressing without complications, and she was being monitored by another obstetrician at Venizeleio. The delivery was scheduled for early August. But on the night of June 30, her water broke. They immediately contacted the doctor, and she was admitted to the hospital.

On July 9, 2022, she underwent a cesarean section. The baby was born healthy and remains in excellent condition. But tragedy struck the mother.

According to her husband, the first 48 hours went smoothly. That same evening, she got out of bed and walked. The next day, July 10, she walked again and seemed strong. That night, the husband returned home, leaving her in her mother’s care. They spoke on the phone at 9 p.m. “She was fine. Nothing worrying,” he recalls.

The next morning, July 11, the unthinkable happened. Minutes after her morning IV medication, she collapsed. “My mother-in-law was there,” he recounts. “She said my wife suddenly felt very ill, called for a doctor, and within seconds, fell unconscious.”

Doctors rushed in and began resuscitation. When he arrived at the hospital, the scene was nightmarish:

“The room was full of doctors. One came out and said: ‘We don’t know exactly what happened. She went into cardiac arrest, but we revived her.’”

A CT scan followed, and she was moved to the ICU. She was in a coma—unresponsive, unaware. Doctors removed the ventilator two days later. “The doctor said: ‘I’m afraid she might be brain-dead.’” A few days later, during another extubation attempt, she moved her hands. “They said there’s hope,” he recalls. “But just hope.”

She was transferred to the Internal Medicine ward, where she caught a respiratory infection. A follow-up scan revealed fluid at the cesarean site. Another surgery, another ICU admission. When she returned to the ward, she could now move her arms and legs, open her eyes, and turn her head. But she couldn’t communicate.

“She was there… but she wasn’t,” her husband says. “She couldn’t speak or understand what we were saying.” Eventually, she was transferred to a rehabilitation center, “Olympion,” where she stayed until January 2023.

She’s Alive – But Not Like Before

Today, she’s at home, surrounded by family—but not truly “present.”
“She can walk a few steps inside the house with help,” her husband explains. “She can’t go out, can’t take care of herself, not even for basic needs.” Her speech is limited to single words. She can’t hold a conversation or express her needs clearly.

Doctors were unequivocal: the severe brain damage was due to lack of oxygen to the brain for a prolonged time. The cause of the cardiac arrest appears to have been an allergic reaction to the IV medication given that morning on July 11.

She Gave Birth via Scheduled C-section – The Baby Died of Pneumothorax Hours Later

The third case, currently under investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office as a possible instance of medical negligence, involves another young woman who went to a public maternity hospital in August to deliver her first child. The pregnancy had reached the 39th week, and the woman had been admitted for a scheduled birth — specifically, a planned cesarean section.

Initially, everything seemed to go smoothly. The surgery was completed, the mother was recovering, and the baby was born alive. However, within less than two hours, the doctors noticed respiratory distress in the newborn. The baby was immediately transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where it was placed under close observation. Despite initial stabilization, the baby’s condition worsened. Heart and lung function slowed down, oxygen levels dropped, and a diagnosis of pneumothorax was made — a serious complication requiring immediate medical intervention.

The newborn was intubated, but despite the doctors’ efforts, it did not survive.

The loss was devastating for the parents. They had entered the hospital expecting a safe, controlled delivery — only to be mourning their child a few hours later, with no clear explanation. This case is also part of the prosecutor’s preliminary investigation. The responsible prosecutor has ordered the full medical file of the newborn to be gathered and sworn statements to be taken from the neonatologists involved. Additionally, an independent expert obstetrician-gynecologist has been appointed to determine whether there were delays, inadequate actions, or omissions in handling the crisis.

Meanwhile, according to the victims’ lawyer, Mr. Lefteris Kartsounas, yet another woman — this time from the Lasithi region — has contacted him, alleging that she too lost her baby at Venizeleio Hospital during the same time period as the other cases.

As he points out, these were healthy pregnancies, with no prior medical history that might have suggested such outcomes. “Personally, I do not believe these are coincidences. It is absolutely essential that we get clear answers,” he emphasized.

Once the preliminary investigation is completed, the prosecutor will assess whether there is sufficient evidence of criminal offenses. If responsibility is determined, those involved are expected to face justice — potentially even on charges of manslaughter through negligence.