A journalistic investigation has recently detonated a carefully concealed bomb, which nevertheless was not unknown to the parties concerned: hospital-acquired infections. The investigation revealed that many of the disinfectants used in Romanian hospitals were diluted by the very firm that had made them. So they were inefficient. The ensuing inquiries – the criminal investigation included – exposed an entire corruption network which had been operating for a very long time. The cause could thus be spotted, of a big problem patients and their families had to face for years. A great many people fell ill while in hospital, and they fared even worse as compared to the moment they were admitted to hospital. Some of those patients even died. Such was the case of some of the victims of the Collective Club fire, the tragedy that hit Romania last autumn. The victims condition was stabilized in hospital, yet they died of an infection they acquired right there. However, the problem is an old one. Or at least thats what the President of the National Patients Protection Association Vasile Barbu told us.
“For nine years now, the National Patients Protection Association has stated that in Romania, the prevention and the control of hospital-acquired infections is a big problem. A problem which has been ignored, actually. We had been told, even officially, that hospital-acquired infections were to be found everywhere, in the States, as well as in Germany. We did not oppose that, since bacteria are part of nature, but in hospitals, the problem must be contained. I drew the then Health Ministers attention, but nothing of the kind was sorted out. Attention was also drawn in the case of the ministers that followed. Some of them had a very short term in office and found it impossible to deal with all the problems of the system. But we drew their attention, nevertheless. In effect, all health ministers had been cautioned as regards the risk posed by hospital-acquired infections.
However, it was not until the media scandal broke out that the authorities ordered a series of verifications in hospitals. As a result, the fact was confirmed that efficiency had been altered in the case of disinfectants produced by the respective firm, disinfectants used in 50 hospitals across Romania. The aforementioned disclosures made possible the discovery of official documents the Health Ministry had submitted to Parliament along the years. The documents confirmed that in the past five years alone, Romanias Health Ministry had identified 57,088 infection cases. Since 2013, actually, the number of such cases has been growing, with Romanias capital city Bucharest setting a record in terms of hospital-acquired infection cases.
The problem seems to have been well-known, but it was only partially recognized as such. Even the representative of the National Microbiology Society said hospital-acquired infections were not reported in Romania, since on paper, our country had reported below 1 per cent such infections, while statistics compiled by other European countries were much more realistic, reporting around 5 per cent infections. The statement was made at the launch of the “2016-2018 Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Hospital-Acquired Infections. Actually, in theory and on paper, Romania does not fare that badly as regards combating hospital-acquired infections. Vasile Barbu again:
“Regulations are in place in Romania at the moment, as regards preventing and combating hospital-acquired infections. At the level of Health Ministry there is a consultative epidemiological commission, there are also medical societies that have put forward solutions to help solve the problem. Unfortunately, the relationship among all players in the healthcare system with regard to that issue is very bad.
Beyond administrative problems and the bureaucratic maze, there are peoples stories, some of them very tragic indeed. Vasile Barbu had his own dramatic experience, since his wife was one of the victims of infections.
“One of the founders of our association was my wife, a lawyer by profession. There were quite a few medical malpractice cases we worked on in our law firm. We had also received notifications from families whose relatives had died when they were patients, because of infections they had acquired in hospitals. So we thought we should do something for them, as the state and the ministry did not do anything for such people. I and my wife decided to do something about it, but after so much hard work, my wife had to undergo a surgical operation. After the surgery, she was infected in the very intensive care unit, in the operating theater. She eventually died.
Theres further proof of the fact that the drama of hospital-acquired infections had long been hitting the Romanian hospitals. Otilia is the mother of a 15-year old boy. Shortly after she had given birth to her baby, he fell ill in hospital.
“Our ordeal actually started in the maternity hospital. Right after I had given birth to my son, he acquired a virus in the stomach, and because of that, he had serious nutrition problems from the very beginning. Then after a while, he was given the anti-measles vaccine and ran a high fever. For a few days his fever stood at 40 degrees, so I called the Ambulance and then I made the mistake of consenting to being admitted to hospital with him. There they gave him very strong antibiotics which affected the mucous membrane of his stomach, so he again acquired some other bacteria in hospital.
The boy had acquired an infection with the pyocyanic staphylococcus, which was not directly disclosed to Otilia by any physician. Actually no member of the medical staff talked to her on that topic, neither when her baby acquired the infection for the first time, nor when he fell ill for a second time around. With details on that, here is Otilia herself.
“When he fell ill for the second time, when he was about 11 months old, I requested that my baby be moved to another hospital, and when I was given the hospital discharge summary, there I read he had acquired some bacteria while in hospital. In the maternity hospital, they had clammed up about it. I had a series of tests made as I wanted to see why my baby wouldnt eat, but what I got was no specific information. But when I ended up in hospital for the second time, I was told the stomach bacteria might have been destroyed by the antibiotics that he had been given. As for the rest of it, they did not take any responsibility at all. I left that hospital straight away and then I was lucky enough to come across another physician, a very good one this time. He was on duty that night, when my child practically struggled between life and death. This time we were accommodated in an antiseptic room. At last, strict hygiene measures had been taken. Had all that happened from the very beginning, I dont think we would have gone through that nightmare.
“The disinfectant scandal has already cost the then Health minister his job, when journalists made their disclosures public. The newly-appointed Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu acted for the benefit of patients, at the time when he held no official position and pledged he would shed light on many of the pending problems. It still remains to be seen how efficient he is in his effort to clear the lockouts in the very system he is supposed to monitor.
(Translated by E. Nasta)
