The University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU; Dutch: ''Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht'') is the main hospital of the city of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is affiliated with the

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

. Since the foundation of the university in 1636 an academic hospital has existed in various forms. Nowadays the UMC Utrecht comprises the academic hospital, the faculty of Medicine as well as the Wilhelmina Children's hospital. In total approximately 10,000 people work at the UMCU including medical staff, nursing staff, residents, support personnel and researchers, making it one of the largest hospitals in the Netherlands. __TOC__

Special units

Neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

Cardiothoracic Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal struct ...

surgery *Radiation oncology unit *

Neonatal An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

and

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

surgery and intensive care * Pediatric

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

Level I trauma center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emergenc ...

Adjacent to the UMCU lies the Central Military Hospital, or CMH, for military personnel. The UMCU also features a Major Incident Hospital (Dutch: ''Calamiteitenhospitaal''). This facility is intended for treating groups of more than five military or civilian casualties in case of major catastrophes, war casualties or in case of particular contagious diseases (for example, repatriated wounded Dutch citizens after the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

and

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

Controversy and scandals

On November 3, 2015, Dutch current affairs television program Zembla reported on a "culture of fear" in the ear, nose and throat department of the UMCU, that would have led to "avoidable" and "serious, deadly complications" endangering the safety of patients. One case was reported in which a patient's carotid artery was accidentally cut during a surgery. The patient died a day later. In April 2016 the Healthcare Inspectorate placed the UMCU on warning for poor healthcare and under increased supervision, after it was revealed that additional fatal incidents had been covered up. In July 2016 it was revealed that in 2015 six patients had developed an eye infection following an eye surgery at the UMCU. Four of these six patients have gone blind and hold the UMCU responsible. The UMCU had to close one of the operating rooms as a result. In December 2016 it was reported that at the UMCU dozens of women who underwent fertility treatment may have had eggs fertilized by sperm cells from someone other than the intended father due to a mix up. Half the women had become pregnant or given birth.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Teaching hospitals in the Netherlands Hospitals established in the 17th century Buildings and structures in Utrecht (city) Health facilities that treated Ebola patients