A court has fined a woman from Lviv for attacking a doctor over an alleged misdiagnosis.

The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv found Olena Vysotsynska guilty of hooliganism and imposed a fine of 17,000 UAH. The verdict states that the Lviv resident attacked an ophthalmologist at St. Nicholas Hospital, located at 4 Pylypa Orlyka Street, in December 2023. The conflict arose because Olena Vysotsynska believed that the doctor had misdiagnosed her child.

According to the case materials, Olena Vysotsynska entered the ophthalmology department of St. Nicholas Hospital on the morning of December 14, 2023. The woman believed that the doctor had given her child an incorrect diagnosis and demanded a certificate regarding the actual illness. The accused grabbed the ophthalmologist by her hair, pulled her, and shouted insults. Other patients, whose children were frightened by the screams and began to cry, witnessed the incident. The conflict lasted approximately 10 minutes until one of the visitors to the medical facility intervened.

During the court hearings, Olena Vysotsynska did not admit her guilt. She stated that her minor child was being treated at St. Nicholas Hospital. According to the accused, she had approached the head of the department several times, claiming that the doctor consistently misdiagnosed her child. The accused insisted that she did not insult the ophthalmologist or pull her hair.

“[The accused] merely adjusted the doctor’s hairstyle, just grabbing a lock that, in her opinion, was obstructing her from reading documents. After that, a father of another child, who was waiting for an appointment, grabbed her by the shoulders. He cannot explain why he did this. Someone called the police. All this lasted a few minutes, and after the police arrived, she was giving explanations in another room and did not interfere with the operation of the medical facility in any way,” the court's verdict states.

Olena Vysotsynska believes that the doctor acted cynically and rudely towards her child and should be punished for her incompetence. The accused requested her acquittal.

In court, the injured doctor recounted that on December 14, 2023, she was seeing patients when Olena Vysotsynska burst into her office demanding a written conclusion regarding her child's diagnosis. However, the doctor refused to do so without examining the patient. The accused yanked at her clothing and hair. Additionally, the doctor reported that Olena Vysotsynska had a bag in her hands from which a kitchen knife fell out. The attacker claimed that she intended to take the knife to the trash. One of the visitors reacted to the screams, forcibly pulled the accused away, and the medical staff called the police.

According to the doctor, her conflict with Olena Vysotsynska has been ongoing for several years. The accused had complained about her to the hospital management. The ophthalmologist suggested that the accused consult other medical professionals. The doctor stated that the attack caused her significant stress: she felt humiliated in front of patients and other doctors.

Judge Halyna Bilinska found Olena Vysotsynska guilty of hooliganism (part 1 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and fined her 17,000 UAH. In addition, the accused must pay the doctor 5,000 UAH for moral damages. The verdict can be appealed.