Prosecutors in Romania said on Saturday that they began a criminal investigation against five medical practitioners. They are accused of reusing dozens of medical implants removed from deceased patients.
A Ring of Five Doctors
According to a statement released by the prosecutors, one of the five physicians who was working at a hospital in the city of Iasi, located in the eastern region of Romania, has been brought into custody.
The physician is awaiting the inquiry on allegations of abusing their position and collecting bribes.
Romanian prosecutors said on Saturday they have opened a criminal investigation into five doctors suspected of reusing hundreds of medical implants extracted from dead patients.https://t.co/hfqce2ASuP
— CNN (@CNN) February 19, 2023
They said the unidentified doctor controlled a ring of four other doctors who supplied him with cardiac implants. These implants were removed from deceased individuals without obtaining prior permission from either the individuals themselves or their relatives.
The prosecution claims the doctor carried out 238 operations over a period of seven years beginning in 2017.
They say the doctor was unlawfully utilizing implants taken from deceased patients or of unknown provenance, placing his patients in danger of significant problems or even death.
Romanian doctors face investigation over reuse of implants from corpses https://t.co/8J0cz2VTdI
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 18, 2023
Corruption and Decadence
According to the statement, a significant number of the implants indicated by the physician were not required. They were triggered by phony diagnoses or by earlier prescribed medicine that would cause specific symptoms.
Corruption, inefficiency, and management that are overly influenced by politics have all been problems plaguing Romania’s healthcare system, which is one of the poorest countries in the European Union.
Tens of thousands of medical professionals, including physicians and nurses, left the country, due to low wages and poor working conditions. The state has only constructed one new hospital in the past three decades.
However, one thing is to note that terrible working conditions are not an excuse to become soulless enough to become involved in an act like this.
We wonder how this highly disgusting act was allowed to go on for so long. First, it is traumatizing to the family of the deceased that their loved ones had to go through the process of getting their medical implants removed.
Secondly, it is insulting to the dead that these soulless doctors cut them open even after death. However, regardless of the fact that the doctors have been getting away with their terrible act, we are happy they have finally been caught.
The real question now is if justice will be served. We certainly hope so. When these doctors lose their licenses and face the consequences of their actions, it is our belief that it will serve as a lesson to other doctors involved in the act.
Interestingly, since an act like this is usually done in rings, it might also lead to more arrests if the doctors cooperate with the police. What are your thoughts about this? How do you think justice can be best served against these doctors?
