The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, said that she wants to restore trust in the Romanian health system, but emphasizes that the judiciary will decide on the accusations of medical mistakes, including in the case of the doctors from St. Pantelimon Hospital accused of qualified murder.
Gorghiu: “If we constantly defend ourselves, things will not go in the right direction” – Photo Facebook
Alina Gorghiu, the Minister of Justice, had a first reaction in the Pantelimon Hospital file.
“I will not tell you my opinion in this case, but I will tell you an opinion in general. I am not allowed, as Minister of Justice, to comment on ongoing cases or court decisions, even if sometimes they make me sad or happy. I will tell you, however, that, being a public figure, I really want to see how confidence in the Romanian health system can be restored in a relatively short term and I hope that the Ministry of Health, colleagues in the system can take those measures and can do those discussions so that those who do their job properly in the health system feel our appreciation”said Alina Gorghiu, on Thursday, in a press conference held in Prahova.
The Minister of Justice stated that if someone broke the law in the case of St. Pantelimon Hospital, that person must answer, but the decision rests with the court
“If someone made a mistake in this case, if someone violated the law, then that person, because she is a nurse, because she is a doctor, must pay. But here I am not the one who decides, but a court in Romania will analyze the evidence of the prosecutors, will analyze the evidence that the respective persons bring before the court and will decide accordingly. However, I would like that in all the systems in Romania – that we are talking about the judicial system, that we are talking about the health system – the bodies that evaluate certain cases do it properly, because it is hard for me to believe that there are no errors in various systems. I would like them to see when there are errors and for the system to correct its own mistakes and to remove from the community those people who make mistakes or break the law. If we constantly defend ourselves and if we constantly try to put the handkerchief on the drum and say that no one is guilty, then I think that things will not go in the right direction. But, I repeat, justice is one thing, the part of cleaning the system from the inside is another and the legislator will have to make things right. If procedures are needed (…) it is not my area of expertise, I am convinced that the decision-makers in the Ministry of Health will support this whole debate for a fair solution“, said Alina Gorghiu, answering the journalists’ questions.
Doctors Maria Miron and Mirela Păiuș, under preventive arrest, challenged the measure, and the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided to release them. The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, emphasized the importance of respecting the presumption of innocence and human and professional dignity until the court pronouncement.
The two anesthesiologists are accused by prosecutors of having caused the death of a patient at St. Pantelimon Hospital by intentionally decreasing the doses of noradrenaline.
