¶ … legal Briefs Hill v. Ohio County

468 S.W. 2D 306 (Ky.1971)

Facts lady by the name of Juanita Monroe went to Ohio County Hospital seeking medical assistance. She was pregnant, and the charge nurse she approached assumed she was seeking obstetrical care. The lady also stated that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to make it back to Illinois, where her doctor was, before the baby would be born. The nurse consulted the "on call" doctor and found he was in surgery. The nurse inquired as to whether she should admit this woman. He informed the nurse he did not handle OB cases.

The nurse consulted with the hospital administrator who advised her that another physician was making rounds at that time. The nurse talked to this doctor who said he did not handle "walk-in OBs." The doctors who were permitted to admit patients to this hospital were all private practice physicians who provided services at the hospital but were not employees of the hospital.

The lady finally went home where her baby was born during the night. The lady called an ambulance driver who had offered her transportation earlier. The driver responded immediately. When he saw the state the woman was in he called Dr. Johnson, one of the doctors who had previously refused care.
He advised the driver to take the woman to Owensboro, about 25 miles away. The woman was dead on arrival.

The hospital rules provide that no one may be admitted without an order from a doctor and Kentucky law provides that no one may practice medicine without a license to do so.

Procedural History:

wrongful…