Radiotherapy overdose at epinal | M6 | 66 minutes

Over a period of several years the machine that treated certain types of cancer in the radiotherapy department of the Jean Monnet hospital in Epinal was not correctly adjusted.The radiation was too intense and burned everything in its path. The mistake cost 5 lives. Dozens of patients had their rectums and intestines destroyed.There may be as many as 4,500 people concerned¾not all of them have been informed.The scandal is made worse by the fact that the authorities were late in reacting.The department has been closed down. The corridors are empty and the names of the doctors are no longer on the doors. They have been suspended. A new team is working to get the department up and running again.In the presence of his lawyer we met the radiotherapist who was in charge of the machine at Epinal. After the tragedy he was fired.According to him the department was desperately under-resourced. It was impossible to buy new equipment. Also, despite repeated requests from the head of the department, a second radiotherapist was never employed¾in contravention of the law relating to hospitals the size of the one at Epinal.The hospital manager at the time has been transferred and did not wish to make any statement. The current hospital manager claims he has nothing to do with this episode.75 of the victims have decided to sue. This is the most serious radiotherapy accident ever to happen in France.