Ombudsman Initiates Procedure Following Students' Sixth Demand Amid Controversy Over Hospital Access
Students from the Medical Faculty in Serbia demand accountability for unauthorized access to intensive care patients by officials and journalists.
Students from the Medical Faculty of Serbia have raised concerns regarding the circumstances under which Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and several journalists gained access to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Clinical Center of Serbia (KCS) on March 17. This access occurred during the visit to patients injured in a recent fire in North Macedonia.
The students are calling for an inquiry into the actions of hospital officials who permitted this access, arguing that it severely compromised the privacy and well-being of the patients.
The Ombudsman of Serbia has launched an investigation in response to these demands, noting that while the office cannot oversee actions taken by the President, it can refer the matter to the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for overseeing KCS and the Urgent Center.
Ombudsman Pašalić emphasized that in instances of alleged inappropriate conduct within hospitals, the findings will be submitted to the Ministry of Health for further examination.
Jana Nedeljković, a student from the Medical Faculty, highlighted the urgency of their request directed toward the management of KCS, including Director Jelena Drulović, Director of the Urgent Center Marko Ercegovac, and the head of the ICU, Dušan Mičić.
Students contend that the admission of individuals who were not properly equipped to be in the intensive care environment posed significant risks to patient safety.
The students are demanding a thorough control of operations and an extraordinary inspection of both healthcare institutions involved.
They request that, based on the inspection findings, legal action could be initiated against the health institutions, responsible individuals, and medical staff who facilitated this breach of patient privacy.
As reported, attempts to contact Director Drulović were unsuccessful as she did not respond.
Meanwhile, Director Ercegovac stated that he does not comment on such requests, adhering to his longstanding position on similar matters.
Additionally, it has been reported that during a recent session of the Faculty of Medicine's Teaching-Scientific Council in Belgrade, a decision was made not to extend Drulović's employment, partly due to the events of March 17. Professor Radan Stojanović of the Pharmacology Department noted that the demand from students is reasonable and logical, reflecting the serious concerns arising from the incident.
The students are calling for an inquiry into the actions of hospital officials who permitted this access, arguing that it severely compromised the privacy and well-being of the patients.
The Ombudsman of Serbia has launched an investigation in response to these demands, noting that while the office cannot oversee actions taken by the President, it can refer the matter to the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for overseeing KCS and the Urgent Center.
Ombudsman Pašalić emphasized that in instances of alleged inappropriate conduct within hospitals, the findings will be submitted to the Ministry of Health for further examination.
Jana Nedeljković, a student from the Medical Faculty, highlighted the urgency of their request directed toward the management of KCS, including Director Jelena Drulović, Director of the Urgent Center Marko Ercegovac, and the head of the ICU, Dušan Mičić.
Students contend that the admission of individuals who were not properly equipped to be in the intensive care environment posed significant risks to patient safety.
The students are demanding a thorough control of operations and an extraordinary inspection of both healthcare institutions involved.
They request that, based on the inspection findings, legal action could be initiated against the health institutions, responsible individuals, and medical staff who facilitated this breach of patient privacy.
As reported, attempts to contact Director Drulović were unsuccessful as she did not respond.
Meanwhile, Director Ercegovac stated that he does not comment on such requests, adhering to his longstanding position on similar matters.
Additionally, it has been reported that during a recent session of the Faculty of Medicine's Teaching-Scientific Council in Belgrade, a decision was made not to extend Drulović's employment, partly due to the events of March 17. Professor Radan Stojanović of the Pharmacology Department noted that the demand from students is reasonable and logical, reflecting the serious concerns arising from the incident.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
