Assistant arrested for alleged involvement in patient deaths during pandemic

The 30-year-old man from Noordenveld is in pretrial detention and will be sent to court on Thursday, announced the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office did not say exactly why the man is accused or how many victims are involved. She said only that his arrest came as a result of a police investigation, prompted by a hospital report.

Wilhelmina Hospital said only that the allegations involved “a serious suspicion against an individual employee”, without going into details to avoid hampering the investigation. The hospital received a report about the assistant, and an internal investigation raised enough concern for authorities to be contacted, WZA said in a statement.

“We can imagine that this report raises questions and even concerns,” said a spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office. “But at this stage of the investigation, we still cannot answer all the questions. The fact that the suspect is in restricted custody, which means he can only have contact with his lawyer, limits the authorities in what they can reveal. Saying too much could also harm the investigation.” the Prosecutor’s Office also said.

The authorities have informed the persons directly involved or affected.

The hospital suspended the nurse in question immediately after receiving the report about him, said WZA board member Hans Mulder. “That way, the behavior in the report could not be continued,” Mulder said.

“We are concerned for the well-being of our employees and any patients or surviving relatives involved,” Mulder said. “In the next period, we will focus, together with the police, on collecting the facts. The next steps to be taken are determined on the basis of the facts.”