In April, patients with
the mobile ICU placed in the courtyard of the Victor Babeș Infectious
Disease hospital in Bucharest died due to a technical malfunction. According to
preliminary reports, the tragedy occurred after a sudden increase in pressure was
reported in the oxygen delivery tanks of the mobile unit, which severed the oxygen
supply to eight people inside the unit. Three of them died. According to investigators,
human error caused the tragedy. Judges have rejected the prosecutors’ proposal
to place the head of the Technical Service and a hospital employee under pre-trial
arrest, but did decide however to place them under house arrest for a period of
30 days. The two are facing manslaughter charges.
Apart from the interdiction
to leave home without the approval of investigators, the two suspects are
banned from contacting the victims, other suspects in the case, witnesses or
experts involved in the investigation. The decision is not final and can be appealed
by prosecutors and defendants. Prosecutors say that due to the failure to ensure
the optimal functioning of the oxygen installation and to the hospital
employees’ undertraining, the installation required an intervention which, prosecutors
add, was poorly carried out by one of the two defendants, which caused the
immediate malfunction of oxygen ventilators in the ICU and the death of the three
patients. On the other hand, the medical unit also said the technical service
employees who were arrested on Wednesday comply with all the legal provisions
in terms of professional training required by their job description. According
to a press release, the hospital management and the entire medical and
auxiliary staff will continue to support the relevant authorities in their
efforts to ascertain the truth.
The incident at Victor Babeș occurred
just months after another two tragedies in medical units across Romania. In
November, last year, a fire broke out at the Piatra Neamț Emergency County Hospital,
affecting another ICU treating COVID patients. Ten people died in the fire at
the time. Medical doctor Cătălin Denciu risked his life to save some of the
patients and suffered serious burns, being hospitalized in Belgium. He was awarded
by the World Health Organization and declared Hero of 2020 by Belgian authorities.
Another fire occurred in January this year at the COVID ward of an elite
medical unit in Bucharest, Matei Balș, also killing several patients.
(VP)