News

The Nizhny Novgorod Region Office of the Investigative Committee has finished the investigation against three doctors of hospitals located in Pavlovo District, Nizhny Novgorod Region: chief doctor of Gorbatov Town Hospital, former head of the X-ray department at Vorsma Town Hospital and former district physician of Gorbatov Town Hospital. Depending on the role of each one they are charged with negligence and infliction of death to a patient by negligence (Part 2 of Article 293 and part 2 of Article 109 of the RF Penal Code).

According to investigators, in November 2009, the head of the X-ray department found abnormalities in lungs of a resident of the town of Gorbatov. Violating current legislation, she did not call the patient for another examination or informed a TB clinic or patient’s employer. No necessary treatment was prescribed.

In March 2010, the man came to Gorbatov Town Hospital complaining about long painful cough and nose bleeding. During the physical examination the district physician diagnosed him with acute bronchitis although the symptoms suggested tuberculosis. Aware from the files provided by Vorsma Town Hospital that there were abnormalities in both of man’s lungs, the physician still did not prescribe any necessary procedures or tests to be done. Instead, she sent the man to get radioscopy of his lungs which unlike radiography, TB patients are not supposed to get. Though there was no radiologist there, the chief doctor made radioscopy using faulty equipment and did not find any abnormalities in his lungs and wrote the respective conclusion. Based on this information the physician discharged the man saying that there was nothing wrong with him.

On 24 May 2010, the patient was hospitalized into the in-patient department of Gorbatov Town Hospital and had the same physician, who again saw the same symptoms. However, yet again she did nothing to give the patient proper examination or treatment though he was getting worse. On 30 May 2010, the man was taken to the Pavlovo Central District Hospital. There the patient finally got radiography, had his sputum taken for a test, which doctors from other hospitals he had previously gone to had failed to do three times. After having been diagnosed with disseminating tuberculosis the man was taken to Pablovo TB Clinic for further treatment, but unfortunately, he was in a neglected condition and he died on 3 June of pulmonary heart disease that had developed because of TB.

Investigators have enough evidence against the accused, so the criminal case with the approved indictment has been referred to court.

As of lately there has been some unprofessionalism detected among medical personnel who neglect their duties and tend to forget that human lives depend on their actions. Such attitude of those who are supposed to save lives, but who are taking turns in treating and maiming or even killing their patients, not having been able to diagnose a disease, is not getting patients trust doctors anymore.