from Nikšić PS (54) died on February 14th at the "Grabovac" Nursing Home in Risan, and his family is seeking answers from the police and prosecutor's office - how he lost his life, because, as they told "Vijesti", the institution where he was for 12 years only told them that he "burned" and that the fire was probably "caused by a lit cigarette".
The Police Directorate unofficially said that police investigations are underway, which they are conducting together with the Higher State Prosecutor's Office.
"My uncle used a wheelchair and had epilepsy. On February 14, around 19 p.m., a social worker from the home called my mother and told her that my uncle had burned himself. The explanation that he had lit himself on fire with a cigarette and that they reacted immediately is simply unbelievable, because his body was charred to the waist. It is unbelievable that none of the employees smelled smoke and saw that someone was burning in the bathroom, where it happened, and that no one heard his cries. As the home told us, they saw on surveillance cameras that he went to the toilet and where, as they say, he stayed for half an hour and that they then saw smoke. I don't understand why none of the staff was worried about what a man in a wheelchair was doing in the toilet for half an hour and didn't go to check, but that they found him when his body was charred," the cousin of the victim told "Vijesti".
She emphasized that the family expected PS to be safe and that he would be taken care of at the Home.
"They are paid to take care of the users, especially those in wheelchairs. If they are short of workers and cannot take care of all the users properly, why don't they hire someone else? The police and the state prosecutor conducted an investigation and were very considerate towards us. An autopsy was performed, and the findings will be ready in about fifteen days. We are also hurt by the fact that they did not allow us to take his personal belongings ourselves, but brought them in a bag," claims the victim's cousin.
Director of the “Grabovac” Nursing Home Srđan Dragomanović, told "Vijesti" that the victim was placed in the psycho-geriatric ward, that he was sorry that all this happened, and that the investigation will determine the circumstances under which the user of the home, who had been there since 2012, was killed.
"We informed the relatives after the prosecutor told us that we could inform them. When they arrived, the prosecutor told them that they were not allowed to touch the body or approach the place where he died. We admitted the relatives to the institution after the body was sent for autopsy. Our employees, the three of them who were in that department, immediately started extinguishing the fire as soon as they saw the fire, and the technical service also arrived and everything was localized within a minute, which can also be seen on the cameras. The investigation will determine what caused the fire. I do not want to prejudge anything, but I am sure that the institution and its employees were not involved," said Dragomanović.
A very similar case occurred more than half a year ago when another resident of the "Grabovac" Nursing Home died in a fire in the same psychogeriatric ward.
"We have more staff than the regulations stipulate on minimum requirements. We recently renewed our license. No hospital or home has staff for one-on-one care, and unfortunately we accept users who are specifically for one-on-one care. The only option for us, as a home, is to operate like other institutions and not accept psychiatric patients," he said.
The Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, in its response to "Vijesti", announced that cases had been opened regarding both events in which ML and PS were killed.
"The aforementioned cases are in the investigation phase, during which this prosecutor's office issued an order for the autopsy of the victims, as well as orders for all necessary expert examinations. Among other things, in the case formed regarding the death of PS, an expert was also given an order for an expert examination of the fire, explosion and accident. In the further course of the procedure, this prosecutor's office will continue to take all necessary measures and actions that may be needed, in order to shed light on specific events, after which it will make a decision in the cases," the Higher State Prosecutor's Office said in a response to "Vijesti"
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography told "Vijesti" that they are aware of the cases and express deep regret over the tragic events at the Nursing Home.
"This institution, like all other social and child protection institutions in the country, already applies the prescribed measures for the protection and safety of users. Immediately after the first case, the competent authorities conducted a detailed investigation and carried out checks on security procedures. Given that we are obliged to comply with regulations on the protection of user data, and that the competent authorities are still in the process of implementing procedures for the aforementioned cases, we are not able to provide additional information at this time. The safety and well-being of users are our priority, and in cooperation with the competent institutions, we will continue to work on further improving conditions and meeting standards in all social protection institutions," the response from the relevant Ministry states.
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