Marko Dojčinović (43) and his wife Katarina (33) from the Prokuplje village of Mala Plana have filed a criminal complaint for negligent provision of medical assistance against the Prokuplje General Hospital, specifically against the staff on duty in the maternity ward, reports Kurir.
They filed the complaint because their newborn baby died just two days after birth at the University Clinical Center in Niš. The police informed the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office about this complaint, and the prosecutor’s office stated that investigative actions are underway to determine the factual situation. The Prokuplje Health Center, which includes the Prokuplje hospital, has also stated that they are conducting an internal control.
In the Prokuplje Health Center, acting director Jelena Nikolić stated that she is aware of this case.
– The Prokuplje Health Center has established an internal professional supervision that will investigate the circumstances of this event – said Jelena Nikolić.
The Prokuplje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the complaint had been received and that the allegations in it are being investigated.
The baby was born on August 28 in the evening, but was urgently transferred to Niš, where it died on August 31 at 1:23 am. The discharge report from the University Clinical Center in Niš listed as the cause of hospitalization and accompanying final diagnoses, as many as 11 of them! This center ordered an autopsy of the baby, but the results of the autopsy are not yet known.
– My wife Katarina had a normal pregnancy, regular with regular check-ups. We did all the tests, exams, and all the results indicated that everything was fine. Then, on August 28, my wife started having pains and I drove her to the Prokuplje hospital maternity ward around 5 pm. At that time, a CTG, ultrasound were done, and the doctor on duty said that my wife was dilated two and a half fingers and that labor had started. I kissed my wife’s stomach and said, „Bye baby, see you soon“ – said Marko Dojčinović.
He stayed in front of the building where the maternity ward was located to wait for his wife to give birth, but around 8 pm, a doctor came out and told him that the baby was in poor condition, had been resuscitated twice, and needed to be urgently taken to Niš.
For the next three hours, as Marko claims, his wife experienced real torture, she fainted several times, they tried to extract the baby with a vacuum pump twice, and in the end, an emergency cesarean section was performed.
– My wife told me that they gave her a therapy, but she did not have contractions, so she artificially created them since this was our second child. So, my wife is not someone who does not know what a delivery looks like. Recounting what happened, she explained to me that they tried to extract the baby by jumping on her stomach, which at one point made it difficult for her to breathe. Then, when that did not work, they tried with a vacuum pump, once, then they tried a second time, but, as my wife told me, something from that device fell to the floor, and then she heard the doctor on duty say to call another doctor and perform a cesarean section – said Marko, who says he will not give up on finding out the truth about what happened and why his baby died.
He only saw the baby, weighing 3.7 kilograms and 54 centimeters long, the next day at the Niš Clinical Center.
– The doctor who received the baby said that she was brought in from the Prokuplje maternity ward in an extremely serious general condition and had experienced a great trauma. They tried for two days to stabilize her, performed all the necessary tests, included all possible therapies, but our child died on August 31. I know that all this will not bring her back, but I want to know the truth, for the sake of other babies and other parents. This cannot happen to anyone! I reported everything, and now it is up to the responsible authorities to conduct a proper investigation. I will not stop – Marko Dojčinović said tearfully.
He adds that his wife Katarina developed a vaginal infection after giving birth and is still under treatment, but is home.
– Her mental state is poor, as is mine – Marko Dojčinović concludes.
