Minnesotans sue hospitals after losing relatives to COVID-19
- Medical Justice Minnesota seeks legal action for COVID-19-related deaths
- Group alleges doctors got bonuses to administer certain medications
- Member: ‘He had to watch his dad die while he was in the hospital’
FILE – North Memorial Health Hospital Critical Care Nurse Kayla Lynch wears a protective gown before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient during her shift Monday, Dec. 7, 2020 in Robbinsdale, Minn. Hospitals in Michigan and Minnesota on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, reported a wave of COVID-19 patients not seen in months as beds were filled with unvaccinated people and health care leaders warned that staff were being worn down by yet another surge. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP, File)
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(NewsNation) — Minnesotans, grieving the loss of loved ones to COVID-19, are suing local hospitals that treated their families, CBS News reports.
Every Tuesday night, dozens statewide meet in a Zoom meeting to share their stories and those of their loved ones lost to the virus.
“The doctor said you are going to die. There is nothing we can do for you,” one member said.
“He had to watch his dad die while he was in the hospital,” said another member. “We saw the fear that so many people were living under.”
Andy Barnhart is an EMT who witnessed COVID-19 up close during the pandemic.
“Every day I had to get up and decide am I going to be fearful of Covid and getting really sick? Or am I going to treat my patients with the dignity that they need,” he told CBS News.
Barnhart, who is also an attorney, said he heard unsettling stories about families’ experiences in hospitals, including inadequate treatment and restrictions in decision-making. This prompted him to establish Medical Justice Minnesota.
“So they weren’t able to advocate or weigh on the type of treatment they should get. What they feel now is that they didn’t do enough,” he said.
The group alleges doctors received bonuses and incentives for administering medications such as remdesivir, also known as veklury, to their sick relatives, per CBS News. According to them, their relatives’ conditions worsened after taking the medication.
“They put me on remdesivir and didn’t even tell me about it,” one member says.
Medical Justice Minnesota aims to investigate whether doctors were incentivized to prescribe specific drugs. In response, CBS reports Gilead, the maker of remdesivir, said, “Veklury is the antiviral standard of care for the treatment of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, recommended in guidelines from national and international organizations. Gilead remains committed to the fight against COVID-19 and to patient safety.”
