The case of Bashtovoi revealed serious shortcomings in the emergency medical assistance system, which should be eliminated as swiftly as possible, said people’s ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai, who condemns the Ministry of Health’s denial of the ambulance team’s responsibility for not intervening in the case of the Bashtovoi family, IPN reports.
“The formal approach to the situation adopted on January 30 by the doctors of the ambulance team and by those from the zonal/municipal emergency station led to dramatic consequences for the Bashtovoi family,” said Mihail Cotorobai.
According to the ombudsman, the Ministry of Health misleads the public by its assertions that the ambulance team didn’t inform the police because they didn’t have legal reasons and they acted in accordance with the law. The regulations concerning the provision of emergency medical assistance to the population clearly provide that to fulfill its duties, the zonal/municipal station interacts with a number of services, such as the police and firefighters, and with the local public administration,” stated Mihail Cotorobai, noting that the regulations also stipulate that the members of the ambulance team cooperate with rescuers and the police so as to promptly deal with emergencies.
The ombudsman said it is regrettable that these circumstances were neglected by the ambulance team because there were ‘no signs of violence and aggression’. He recommended the Ministry of Health to ensure the training of the emergency service’s doctors in accordance with the provisions of the national normative and legal framework and the international standards in the field.
The tragedy happened as a result of a gas leakage in the evening of January 30. In the home of former MP Andrei Bashtovoi, there were found the dead body of his wife Svetlana Bastovoi and their son Mircea, who was unconscious. The Ministry of Health said the ambulance team acted correctly. At 6.39am, the ambulance service 903 was called by Bashtovoi’s son. The cardiological team sent to the address could not enter the home because the gate was locked and there were no lighting or other signs showing that the ambulance team was awaited. The team stayed there for 30 minutes.
