The nurse at Nikšić General Hospital who was suspended after the death of a newborn was not fired, as the Minister of Health said the day before yesterday. Vojislav Šimun, her fixed-term employment contract, which she signed in August of this year, has already expired.
Director of Nikšić Hospital Zoran Mrkic He responded to "Vijesti" that two nurses were suspended from work for disciplinary proceedings, one of whom had a fixed-term contract, which expired during the suspension.
The day before yesterday, Šimun, answering a question from MP GP URA Zoran Mikic in the Parliament, among other things, he said that in the cases of the death of a baby in Nikšić and a boy in Bar, they are implementing all relevant procedures to determine whether responsibility was due to a systemic error, or whether responsibility was individual.
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He said that the director of the hospital in Nikšić was on site that same night with the intention of making the entire procedure transparent, notified the relevant institutions, and carried out everything within his jurisdiction to determine what had happened.
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"Two nurses who supervised the child were suspended, one of whom was fired. For both of them, he provided all the necessary evidence and suspicions in the event of possible criminal liability," said Šimun.
...The death of the newborn occurred during the shift of the nurse who was obliged to monitor the newborn, and from the submitted statements of all the actors in the event (due to contradictory statements), it cannot be determined exactly how long the baby was unattended, which is why the director decided that it was necessary to conduct a procedure to determine the employee's responsibility and suspend her, it is written in the decisions that "Vijesti" received under the Law on Free Access to Information.
The Ministry of Health did not respond yesterday to why the nurse was fired, nor whether the findings of the commission responsible for external control of the Nikšić hospital in the case of the death of a newborn have been completed.
An external commission from the Ministry of Health visited the hospital in the first week of November to determine the actions of employees when providing health care to a newborn who died in that institution on October 25th due to choking on milk, and the commission's findings will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office.
The decision on the temporary suspension of a nurse with a permanent contract states that the death occurred in the neonatal unit, which the director was informed about by phone at 9:19 p.m. by the headmistress. The decision, which was obtained by "Vijesti" based on the Law on Free Access to Information, through the MANS platform "Ask Institutions", states that indications regarding the circumstances of the newborn's death point to possible negligence in the employee's work and negligent performance of work duties:
"The employee was informed of her work responsibilities, as well as the circumstances that may arise in this specific case due to leaving a baby in a certain state without supervision."
The decision of October 31 also states that the death of the newborn occurred during the shift of the nurse who was obliged to monitor the newborn, and that from the submitted statements of all the actors in the event (due to contradictory statements), it cannot be determined exactly how long the baby was unattended, which is why the director decided that it was necessary to conduct a procedure to determine the employee's responsibility and suspend her.
The decision to dismiss another nurse whose employment contract was not extended, and who was also suspended due to circumstances indicating a serious violation of work obligations, states the same reasons.
"Disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against the employee to determine liability for a serious violation of work obligations: failure to perform or negligent, untimely or negligent performance of work obligations, or if the employee unjustifiably refuses to perform the obligations stipulated in the employment contract...", the decision states.
The Higher State Prosecutor's Office has opened a case regarding the death of a newborn baby, which is in the investigation phase.
The newborn's family sent a letter to the media on October 28th stating that the girl was born healthy on October 22nd, and that she received the highest grade for the delivery, which passed without any complications.
"On Saturday, October 25, the newborn was diagnosed with jaundice. She was taken by her mother at around 6:30 p.m. that day to the room where she was supposed to stay for 24 hours and never returned," it was announced.
The family claims that, according to the preliminary autopsy report they received, death occurred on Saturday at around 9:10 p.m., and the cause of death was listed as choking on food while regurgitating.
"The baby was left alone, no one from the hospital staff was there to help her, to turn her, pat her, whatever...", the family states in the letter, explaining that the autopsy findings indicating possible negligence by the employees have been sent to the prosecutor's office.
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