Bulgarian Hospital Head Keeps Job despite Baby Death

The hospital in Gorna Oryahovitsa will suffer from the scandal with the dead baby, the town mayor is afraid. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

The municipal council of the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa has decided against firing Dr. Mirolyub Kozhuharov, the head of the local hospital, over the death of a prematurely born baby which caused a scandal last week.

Four other doctors were arrested last week on suspicions that they left a prematurely born baby to die without helping it, and the scandal grew enormously as on Friday the police released tapes of conversations between the hospital head and some of the doctors, in which they use very cynical language with respect to the baby's fate and make it clear they are aware they could face charges over its death. (The story in detail READ HERE)

"This is an extremely unpleasant case which casts a shadow on the maternity ward and the entire hospital. We used to be proud of this ward because the conditions there are very good, and it serves over 100 000 people from six municipalities. Some 900 babies were born there annually, with 637 so far this year," the Mayor of Gorna Oryahovitsa Yordan Mihtiev commented as cited by BGNES>

The municipal council voted by a margin of only 2 votes to keep Kozhuharov as head of the hospital.

The municipality expects the results from the investigation into the case of the competent authorities about whether the doctors are guilty or not. The doctors, who were arrested last week, are back and working their regular hours.

"The language used on the tapes is extremely unpleasant. I wanted this to be a leading hospital, and now this scandal will certainly affect it negatively. The doctors and the patient are depressed and silent. The entire environment is depressing," the mayor explained.

Earlier on Monday, Dr. Dimitar Lenkov, chief secretary of the Bulgarian Doctors' Union took the side of the doctors in the dispute of whether the prematurely born baby even had a heartbeat. He insisted that the authorities should be talking about an abortion rather than a childbirth. There is a dispute of whether the fetus qualifies as a baby, i.e. whether it was born in the 21st or the 23 week.

Lenkov believes that if the baby was born in a specialized clinic with all latest top-notch equipment, its life might have been saved. He declared, however, that this is possible in only two places in Northern Bulgaria – the University Hospital in Pleven, and Varna.

He slammed the reform of the healthcare and hospital system claiming that not every hospital in the country has enough funds, and that many see their money run out on the 20th day of each month, and are then unable to treat patients.

He said Interior Minister Tsvetanov should resign if it is proven that the doctors in Gorna Oryahovitsa did all they could to save the life of the baby with the means at their disposal, and that the attack against the hospital is motivated by a desire to close it down.

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