Tahirović: I was unfairly accused

The former head of neonatology, Haka Tahirović, said that on October 6, after the third baby was referred to the Clinical Center of Montenegro from the Bjelopolje maternity hospital, the neonatologist of the Institute for Children's Diseases, Dr. Lidija Banjac, ordered that in the future, all babies with similar symptoms should be urgently sent to Podgorica.

Dr. Banjac, as she stated, told her this through neonatology nurse Jelena Veličković, who was accompanying the third baby sent to KCCG that day.

Tahirović stated this today in the High Court, before which she and three other doctors are responsible for the infection of five babies in the maternity hospital in Bjelopolje, one of whom died.

She, former director Tomislav Jeremic, head of the maternity hospital Zvonko Puletić and pediatrician Jela Cimbaljević were charged with having committed a serious criminal offense against human health, in connection with failure to comply with the regulations for the prevention of infectious diseases.

Tahirović pointed out that she was unfairly accused and that an orchestrated media hunt was conducted against her with the aim of discrediting her.

She added that she sent the request to the Commission for Monitoring Intrahospital Infections on October 7, after an agreement regarding the organization of the neonatology department with director Jeremic.

"That was after the head of the Institute for Children's Diseases, Dr. Danojla Dakić, told me in a telephone conversation that three babies were admitted under the suspicion of infection, and under the diagnosis of sepsis, and warnings that something strange was happening at the maternity hospital," said Tahirović.

However, that very day, as well as the following ones, October 8 and 9, Tahirović was out of Bijeli Polje, due to, as she pointed out, "her brother's serious operation".

"I was not informed about the reception of the babies, nor about the transport, I was only present when Knežević's baby was referred, which I saw from the findings was in a serious state of health," said Tahirović. She added that she had no insight into the documentation of the 5 referred babies.

She pointed out that pediatrician Jela Cimbaljević asked to admit children to the neonatology department herself from November 1.

"Allegedly, because she gives therapy and I just continue to monitor," said Tahirović.

Although Tahirović stated in her request to the commission that she "doubts that it is an infection, because the number of babies brought from the maternity ward to neonatology and referred to the KCCG with a diagnosis of sepsis has increased, she said that at the time she "did not know" that it was an infection , she already found it strange that pediatricians "too often take the blood of babies and send it to private laboratories and that they spend too much time in the maternity hospital".

"I'm also thinking about the overall dissatisfaction of pediatricians with the work and the desire of Dr. Cimbaljević to work independently, about the stories that neonatology should be closed," she said.

Describing interpersonal relations with Dr. Cimbaljević Tahirović, she stated that they do not communicate privately, but that they cooperate in business in terms of consultations. Regarding why pediatricians were not invited to the meeting with the director on October 7, Tahirović said that "they did not express their desire to come", and that it was only an agreement regarding the transportation of babies.

Tahirović, answering the court's questions, said that since October 6, when she received a message from Dr. Banjac, she had not held any meeting with the pediatricians, that she did not know whether she was aware that Dr. Cimbaljević had asked to be released from standby, that she didn't visit the babies, it was done by the pediatricians who received them... .

Dr. Jeremić said earlier in his defense that he first learned that "something strange is happening at the maternity ward" from the letter Tahirović found on his desk on October 10, but that he did not know that it was an infection. The trial continues on October 21, with the hearing of Dr. Cimbaljević.