From the Civil Initiative “Danaya for Life” submitted to the Council of Ministers requests for six urgent reforms in children's health care. The requests are supported by a signature, which includes nearly 12,000 signatures of citizens from over 40 cities and villages. The signature is organized at the beginning of February 10, 2024, according to the Law on the direct participation of citizens in state power and local self-government.
The civic initiative is in memory of 15-year-old Danaya, who died on May 9, 2023 in the “Pirogov“ hospital, BTA recalls.
The huge shortages in health care are killing, they killed many children in one year, and this civil initiative can start a real reform, and these lives can be saved, Ani Stoyanova - Danaya's mother, told journalists before submitting the signature to the Council of Ministers. According to Stoyanova, the most lacking in health care is morality. Kremena Kuneva, chairman of the "Danaya" foundation, expressed hope that their demands will mark the beginning of real reforms. The signature will be submitted to both the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health, as we are witnessing a transfer of responsibility between the institutions and we will not give up until we see a result from them, Kuneva added. According to her, the deadlines set in the requests are realistic and do not require as much time as desire.
Lawyer Metodi Lalov told BTA that they are working on the case that Stoyanova announced some time ago that she would file against "Pirogov". According to him, the lawsuit against the hospital will be for compensation, but the main goal is to condemn the medical institution for medical errors that led to Danaya's death. In the coming months, the claim will be submitted to the court, Lalov also said and pointed out that the society must understand that measures are needed to prevent such a case from repeating and for the hospital to take responsibility.
The reforms demanded by “Danaya for life” are the creation of a digital information system that functions in real time and directs parents of children to the necessary medical specialists depending on the condition of the child, as well as according to its location. The system should combine information on all clinics where children are treated, on their capacity, on their working hours, as well as on duty offices and specialists. There should also be an opportunity to make an online inquiry to the relevant hospital, as well as a response period.
To be created “hot“ a telephone or online platform for reporting problems and supporting parents of child patients during their admission and stay in hospital and/or when the hospital refuses to provide a multidisciplinary team when needed. To guarantee the anonymity of whistleblowers and to have a mechanism for immediate subsequent verification, the organization also insists.
By the end of this year, rules of good medical practice should be introduced for all medical specialties and all medical protocols for work in emergency and urgent care should be checked by an independent expert body external to the relevant hospital, they add in their demands from the organization. The results of the inspection should be made public. A complete update of the protocols in accordance with the latest practices in emergency and emergency medicine and ensuring their implementation in all hospitals, also stated by “Danaya for Life”.
Integrate a quality control system for inter-hospital and intra-hospital communication in all hospitals to ensure fast and efficient interaction, excluding personal judgment, for summoning and notification of the need for a specialist, as well as clear rules for triggering and responding is the organization's next request.
To introduce mandatory continuing medical education for all medical specialties, which is not at the expense of the general annual leave of doctors. The Executive Agency "Medical Supervision" should be restructured. as an independent specialized state body or in an executive agency under the Council of Ministers, the organization added. The Agency shall have the powers and obligations to obtain explanations, request and verify documents of the medical institutions, their employees, as well as the affected patients, if any. A program should be created to increase the expert capacity of the employees who carry out the checks by the end of 2025, and to provide them with a decent and adequate remuneration, limiting the risk of corruption, the organization also indicated.
After the girl's death, checks were appointed in “Pirogov” and in the “Tsarica Joanna– ISUL“. After the first inspection carried out by the Executive Agency “Medical Supervision” found no violations, followed by a second – in January 2024, in which a violation was found in the two medical facilities in the prescription and dispensing of a medicinal product. During the second inspection, the “Malchovtsite“ medical center was also inspected. Ltd. - Sofia, hospital and the diagnostic-consultative center at “Tokuda“ hospital, Outpatient clinic for primary outpatient medical care individual practice “Smaragd 57” EOOD - Kresna, “Doctor K. Pandeva“ - IPPMP EOOD - Blagoevgrad.
All the documents received from the medical facilities in the course of the first inspection have been provided to the “Combating Corruption in the Administration” sector, the “Economic Police“ department. to the Main Directorate “National Police” on January 8, 2024, the “Medical Supervision” reported at the time. On January 25 of this year, the investigative protocols, together with the documents obtained during the re-verification, were submitted to the “Combating Corruption in the Administration“ sector, the “Economic Police“ department. to the "National Police" Main Directorate.