The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has asked the Ministry of Health to publish the conclusions of the controls carried out at the Giulești Maternity Hospital, where in September, 9 newborns were infected with Klebsiella bacteria, known for its resistance to antibiotic treatments. FACIAS is asking for answers on compliance with the legal protocols for the prevention of infections in the Giulești Maternity Hospital, as well as concrete measures to prevent such cases.
Official statistics indicate that Romania has a nosocomial infection rate of 1.4%, which would suggest that, in comparison to other European countries, Romanian hospitals are among the cleanest. In comparison, the incidence of nosocomial infections in Germany is 3.5%, while in Denmark it is 5.3%. These discrepancies give rise to significant concerns regarding the accuracy and reliability of infection data reported in Romanian healthcare facilities. These discrepancies suggest that there may be either under-reporting of cases or significant deficiencies in the monitoring and control system for hospital-acquired infections.
The ongoing challenges can be attributed to the delayed issuance of implementing rules for Law No. 3/2021 on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of healthcare-associated infections. In the absence of the aforementioned rules, which should set out clear and standardised procedures for the prevention and control of nosocomial infections, healthcare facilities are not obliged to implement rigorous measures for patient safety. This legislative absence not only allows the recurrence of serious incidents, such as the outbreaks at Giulești Maternity Hospital, but also means that no one is penalised for failing to report or mismanaging these infections.
It is recalled that Giulești Maternity Hospital has been involved in other serious incidents related to nosocomial infections. In 2018, hospitalisations were suspended following an outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus, which infected dozens of newborns, thereby revealing major problems in infection control in this unit. A year later, a patient died after contracting an infection while hospitalised at the same maternity hospital.
In the wake of the recent incident in September, wherein nine newborns were infected with Klebsiella bacteria, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was temporarily closed for sanitisation and subsequently reopened. FACIAS highlights that this measure does not address the fundamental issue of recurrent nosocomial infections in maternity wards, emphasising the urgent necessity for the implementation of rigorous regulations and comprehensive control measures across all healthcare facilities.
A legal action has been initiated by FACIAS against the Ministry of Health, citing the failure to issue the requisite rules for the implementation of Law 3/2021. The legislation, which was enacted in 2021, provides for the development and adoption of clear and mandatory rules for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections as early as March 2021. However, these have not yet been adopted, leaving healthcare facilities without specific regulations for effective infection control. FACIAS highlights that the absence of implementing rules endangers all patients and urges the Ministry of Health to promptly develop rules that would guarantee the safety and protection of public health in Romanian healthcare facilities.
A review of publicly available data by FACIAS revealed that over 20,416 cases of nosocomial infections were reported across the country during the first half of 2024. However, the data is incomplete and potentially inaccurate due to the absence of clear reporting guidelines, which allows each healthcare facility to report nosocomial infection cases at its own discretion.
In this context, FACIAS has requested that the National Institute of Public Health publish a comprehensive overview of nosocomial infections recorded in each medical facility in the country. This is with the aim of providing patients with clear and transparent information on the risks associated with hospitalisation. Furthermore, FACIAS has called for the identification and publication of the list of facilities that have been identified as under-reporting, with the objective of increasing transparency and accountability in the healthcare sector. It is imperative that rigorous reporting and communication protocols regarding nosocomial infections be established, as this will empower citizens to make well-informed decisions regarding the healthcare facilities at their disposal.
It is of the utmost importance that there is transparency in the management of nosocomial infections. This is not only to protect the health of patients, but also to prevent abuses and under-reporting that could have a detrimental impact on public health. Without accountability, there is no mechanism in place to hold hospital managers responsible for unreported or hidden infections.