Mothers Arrived Under the Influence of Alcohol for Childbirth: Details on the Tragic Incident at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital

The governor of Kemerovo Oblast blamed mothers for the deaths of newborns at the Novokuznetsk maternity hospital. According to Ilya Serdyuk, the newborns were born prematurely and many mothers had not been under medical supervision prior to admission, allegedly 'not taking care of their health.' He stated that some even abused alcohol, arriving at the maternity hospital under the influence.

The governor also defended the hospital staff. 'The public initially blamed the medical personnel, but I would defend them. Based on our data and analysis, we are inclined not to believe that there was a nosocomial infection in the hospital,' he noted.

It is recalled that the Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case in Kemerovo Oblast under the articles of negligence and causing death by negligence following the deaths of newborns at the maternity hospital. The investigation was initiated after seven newborns died at the medical facility during the New Year holidays.