Two foreign experts join oversight panel in case of paralyzed new mother, says Minister Klekovski
Minister Klekovski said two foreign experts were invited to raise treatment standards and strengthen trust; the final conclusion is due by month’s end.
The Ministry of Health has formed an expert oversight commission to investigate the case of a young mother who became paralyzed after a second cesarean section; two foreign specialists have been invited to join the panel, Minister Sasho Klekovski announced.
According to the minister, the final report on whether a medical error occurred is expected by the end of this month, but the deadline depends on the availability of the engaged experts.
"I formed the commission for professional oversight. I can say, for the purpose of raising the level of treatment and building trust in institutions, I invited two foreign experts to participate in the regular work. All findings of the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate have been sent to them," Klekovski said.
Commission membership and next steps
The commission is chaired by a gynecologist and includes an anesthesiologist from Belgrade, a neurologist from Ljubljana, a neurosurgeon from the Sveti Erasmo hospital in Ohrid and a radiologist from Skopje. Klekovski said an online meeting has been scheduled so the experts can request any additional documents they need; that will be followed by a further session, preferably with the patient present, where a final conclusion will be adopted.
So far the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate (DSZI) has not identified shortcomings in the medical records, the minister noted, but asked for clarifications regarding two instances in which the patient voluntarily left the hospital. Documentation related to those departures has been completed and provided to the oversight commission for review.
The case triggered public concern after a 19-year-old woman from Strumica reportedly lost all movement in her legs and developed paraplegia following a cesarean section performed with spinal anesthesia. Her family publicly accused medical negligence. She was transferred first to the Clinical Hospital in Shtip and then to the University Clinic of Neurology in Skopje for further tests; the management of the Shtip hospital has announced it will carry out its own specialist evaluation and maintains that no surgical lapses were noted in their care.
Earlier extraordinary inspections by the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate were completed in three institutions involved in the patient’s care: the General Hospital in Strumica, the Clinical Hospital in Shtip and the University Clinic of Neurology in Skopje. Inspectors reviewed medical records and took statements from the health professionals who treated the patient.
Photo: press material from the event
