A Czech woman who complained about a hospital's practice of charging fathers to attend birth now has the support of the county's ombudsman. The hospital collects a fee for a father's presence during birth, and three times as much for a doula to be present. "The Health Services Act confers on patients the right of the presence of a person of their choosing,” said Ombudsman Anna Šabatová, adding that this right can't be subject to arbitrary fees. The hospital said the fees cover the costs of disrupting procedures, while many women describe hospitals as impersonal and unable to provide support.