The Kamchatka Territory Office of the Investigative Committee has finished an investigation against ophthalmologist of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Children’s Hospital charged with unsafe services under Part 2, item “b” of Article 238 of the RF Criminal Code.
According to investigators, in December 2012, a woman came to the ophthalmologist on doctor’s referral from the territorial hospital seeking treatment to her newborn son under risk of having retinopathy, a serious eye disease which may cause blindness.
The doctor started treatment, but deliberately failed to provide proper medical service. She did not examine the baby using diagnostic methods required by the order of the Health Ministry, she refused to examine baby’s eyes because he was asleep, did not register him for observation at the hospital, failed to diagnose the disease, therefore did not prescribe necessary treatment. She made wrong diagnosis by stating that the baby was still in the risk group, though at the moment of the appointment the disease was progressing and was on its 3rd stage at least.
When in February 2013 the mother went to another doctor, he diagnosed 5th-stage retinopathy - blindness of both eyes. At present, the baby has disability due to loss of eyesight.
To check the quality of the medical care service provided, the investigators ran a long and complicated forensic medical examination outside Kamchatka Territory involving experts of different specializations. The experts and investigators established the fact of medical malpractice which did not prevent the pathological process or reduce the risk that the disease would develop complications.
The investigators have enough evidence, so the criminal case has been forwarded for the indictment to be signed and will then be referred to court.
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