Mother suffers burns while giving birth in Prague hospital

A mother giving birth in a Prague hospital suffered burns during a caesarean section, the hospital said Monday, with media reporting a disinfectant caught fire during the procedure.

The baby was not injured in the incident, a spokeswoman for the Bulovka hospital on the northern outskirts of the Czech Republic's capital said.

But the Denik N daily said Sunday that the 24-year-old mother suffered burns to her genitals, thighs, sides and lower belly.

"The caesarean section was performed because of acute obstetrical complications," the spokeswoman, Eva Stolejda Libigerova, told AFP on Monday, adding that the hospital was investigating the August 25 incident.

"The mother is in a stable condition, which does not require intensive care and... remains at a standard ward with her child," she said, refusing to go into detail about the rare incident.

Denik N said the mother caught fire when the hospital staff administered a disinfectant, then used a surgical instrument to stop bleeding.

It added the woman was taken to another Prague hospital with a renowned burn ward for subsequent treatment before returning to Bulovka.

The Bulovka hospital also had to apologise in 2024 when it performed an abortion on the wrong pregnant woman after mixing two Asian women up.

The hospital paid compensation to the woman and police shelved the case, Czech media said.