Hospital ordered to compensate Romany woman for sterilisation

A regional court has ordered Ostrava City Hospital to pay 500,000 crowns (almost 26,000 USD) in compensation to Iveta Cervenakova, a 30-year-old Romany woman, who was involuntarily sterilised by the hospital ten years ago. Her lawyer has pointed out this is the first time a Czech court has ruled in favour of financial compensation for involuntary sterilisation. In the case, the hospital defended its actions by saying it had Mrs Cervenakova's written consent, given after the birth of her second child by caesarean section. But the court found that medical staff did not proceed correctly in her case and there was no documentation in her medical file to prove that she had agreed with the sterilisation procedure.