Six employees of the Mother and Child Institute were penalized following the violations ascertained in the case of the woman who gave birth in the maternity hospital’s toilet. The announcement was made by the Institute’s director Sergiu Gladun in a news conference. The measures were applied after a commission of the Ministry of Health conducted an internal inquiry, IPN reports.
Based on the recommendations formulated by the commission, it was decided to dismiss the head of the Gynecology Section, the senior midwife and the nurse who was on shift on December 13-14, 2018. Punishment in the form of reprimand was imposed on the doctor on guard, the director of the Perinatal Center and medical vice director of the Mother and Child Institute. A disciplinary punishment in the form of warning was also put on the Institute’s director Sergiu Gladun.
Iurie Dondiuc, chairman of the expert commission in obstetrics and gynecology of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, said that after examining the available documents and as a result of discussions with the medical staff that provided medical assistance to the woman, the commission set up by the Ministry identified such shortcomings as defective communication between the medical personnel and the patient and the lack of psychological counseling for the woman, violations of the norms of medical conduct shown by negligence, ignorance, brutality and deviations from medical ethics and deontology. Also, the patient was told to purchase drugs at a time when the institution possessed the necessary preparations.
Secretary general of state Boris Gilca said this case was a serious blow given to the health system of Moldova. The problem resides not in the health system, but in the human factor and to change the system, the people should also be changed. The Ministry of Health will initiate consultations on the creation of an independent medical ethics and deontology body that will investigate cases inside the profession, cases of malpractice, ignorance, lack of compassion and poor communication with patients. This will be able to impose internal disciplinary and contravention punishments, including ban on practicing.
The case became known after the woman wrote about the moments through which she went on a social networking site. The young woman accused doctors and nurses of indifference as she was left to suffer pain during 23 hours and gave birth alone in the hospital’s toilet as a result of recommended medical abortion in the 21st week of pregnancy owing to congenital malformation identified in the fetus.
