Minister Alexandru Rafila has formally communicated to FACIAS his decision not to dispatch the Control Body to the County Emergency Hospital of Targu Jiu to verify the circumstances of the death of Andrei Marius Dragan. This refusal follows a protest organised by FACIAS in front of the Health Ministry last week.
The Ministry of Health asserts that the sanctions imposed by the Gorj Public Health Department on the two doctors are deemed adequate and that the investigation conducted at the local level is transparent and does not necessitate further scrutiny.
For a period of two months, FACIAS has issued repeated requests to the Ministry of Health, cautioning that the incident in Andrei's case, which transpired at the County Emergency Hospital in Targu Jiu, has the potential to recur at any moment if comprehensive investigations are not initiated and substantive actions are not undertaken. Furthermore, FACIAS underscores the imperative for those accountable for Andrei's demise to be held responsible, and the absence of suitable sanctions may result in the perpetuation of such grave occurrences within the healthcare system.
Following the intervention of the Public Health Department of Gorj, the on-call surgeon and the emergency medicine specialist who transported the patient to the Emergency Reception Unit were each fined 3,000 lei for 'failing to provide all necessary medical services to a 16-year-old patient in critical condition, in violation of the legal regulations in force and the indications in his medical record'. The failure to provide adequate medical care resulted in the patient's demise. It is noteworthy that the sanctioned surgeon has already initiated legal proceedings to challenge the fine, which could potentially result in the annulment of this minimal measure.
FACIAS has drawn attention to the fact that, despite the investigation into Andrei's death being overseen by five institutions, no conclusion has been reached and no culprit has been identified. Moreover, the investigation has been stalled for an inexcusable reason: the histopathology report, a pivotal document in establishing the cause of death, has not been submitted to the authorities by the Craiova Institute of Forensic Medicine due to an outstanding fee not having been paid by the institution that requested it. FACIAS has declared its readiness to settle the outstanding fee in order to facilitate the investigation and ensure the truth is revealed.
FACIAS demands justice for Andrei! This tragedy cannot be reduced to a simple fine or a routine check by the DSP which is carried out in every case.
Other violations within the County Emergency Hospital Targu Jiu County reported by FACIAS to the Minister of Health for which it was required to send the control body:
- The dramatic case in March 2024 of the death of a baby, one day after he was discharged by doctors on the grounds that he would not require hospitalization.
- In October 2020, a suspicious death occurred at the County Emergency Hospital of Targu Jiu. A psychiatric patient hanged himself while he was "sedated and monitored".
- In November 2019, doctors from the County Emergency Hospital of Targu Jiu were accused by the family of a retired teacher from Bălănești, victim of a road accident, of having discharged him too early and refusing a second admission after the patient returned to the UPU. The man later died in a hospital in Craiova and the family accused the doctors of negligence and malpractice.
