The Health Ministry and Hospital - Acquired Infections

More than a month after the horrific fire at Bucharest's Colectiv nightclub, which killed 60 people, dozens of victims are still treated in hospitals in Romania's capital city and abroad. After the media reported that many of the injured had died because Romanian hospitals didn't have the necessary quality standards to prevent patients from developing infections, the National Institute for Public Health and the Public Health Department started an investigation into the matter. 

Germ samples were taken from Bucharest hospitals, and the test results are to be made public next week. The Health Ministry reacted by  saying that hospital-acquired infections represent one of the complications in patients with severe burns, citing expert studies to support their statement. Thus, 75% of deaths among these patients are associated with lung lesions and complications caused by infections. Also, the Health Ministry gave assurances that the hospitals had all necessary means and medicines to treat patients in critical condition.

The spokesperson for the Clinical Emergency Hospital for Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, doctor Adrian Stănculea, has confirmed that three of the victims of the Colectiv fire died due to infections, but that was not out of the normal in such situations. Asked whether they could have been saved if transferred to hospitals abroad on time Stanculescu has said those were mere speculations. According to Dr. Stanculescu, there is always a risk for patients with severe burns to develop infections because damaged skin can no longer protect the body.  

Moreover, in the case of the Colectiv fire victims there was also the problem of respiratory tract infections, as their lungs were seriously affected by the toxic substances they had inhaled. Hospital representatives have also stated that hospital acquired infections in patients suffering from severe burns  are reported in renowned international health centres too, but it's true that the number of such cases could have been smaller in Romania if the country had a specialised hospital at western standards, in a totally new building. The Government has recently announced its plan to implement a national programme for burn patients, as of next year.