MOSCOW: (Web Desk) – Russian authorities have arrested the chief physician and acting head of the intensive care unit at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 in Siberia, following the deaths of nine newborns earlier this month, prosecutors said Wednesday. The hospital tragedy has drawn widespread attention to chronic staff shortages and funding gaps in Russia’s healthcare system.
The two medical officials have been charged with negligence and causing death through negligence, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. While the precise causes of the infants’ deaths are still under investigation, regional health authorities noted that all the babies had suffered from various conditions contracted during pregnancy or childbirth.
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The hospital temporarily halted patient admissions due to a surge in respiratory infections. The Investigative Committee stated that the fatalities, which occurred between January 4 and January 12, were linked to substandard performance of professional duties. Forensic investigations into each case are ongoing.
Local media reports suggested the hospital was operating with a severe shortage of staff, though hospital officials have denied this claim. Russian lawmakers expressed shock and concern, with Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, calling the incident a “tragedy” that must never happen again.
The governor of the Kuzbass region has ordered inspections of all maternity and prenatal hospitals in the area. Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Yana Lantratova condemned the incident as a “crime against the country” amid a demographic crisis. Authorities confirmed that the city’s other maternity hospital remains open.
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