The fine imposed on Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona by the Directorate General of Health Planning and Regulation ranges between €3,006 and €15,025, due to the classification as a “serious infraction.” The patient, Judit Sellart, who gave birth on November 3, 2023, reported having suffered “obstetric violence.”
“"It was a C-section without consent. I went into Quirón and let myself be guided. It hurt later to learn that they did it to rush because it was Friday afternoon."
The sanctioning file, resolved on January 30, indicates that the hospital failed to record in the clinical history the information provided to the pregnant woman regarding labor induction, vaginal examinations, or the necessity of the surgery. Salut asserts that there was a “continued violation of the principle of autonomy” of the patient.
In addition to the lack of consent for the surgery, the file also includes Sellart's complaint about the frequency of vaginal examinations, which were performed seven times in eight hours, a frequency higher than recommended by protocols. The hospital alleged that the patient never expressed her desire for a natural birth.
The sanction comes in a context where the Generalitat, through Salut and Igualtat (Equality), seeks to limit the C-section rate to 15% through the Catalan plan against obstetric violence presented in 2023. Currently, the rate is 23.2% in public healthcare and rises to 35% in private centers across Catalonia.
