"A number of activities for realisation of measures" have been initiated at the UMC. A holder of activity has been appointed for each measure, with the obligation to report about the implementation or preparations for it at regular weekly meetings.
One of the prescribed measures is also the duty of the UMC to report and initiate an internal investigation in case of the most severe warnings of dangerous events, such as was the case of doctor Ivan Radan and his disputable actions. He is suspected of at least seven murders of patients. Some of health care workers supposedly knew about it, but did not react.
Education of doctors
The UMC is given three months for educating doctors on their obligation to denounce a suspected criminal act against life and body, and the same amount of time for educating health care workers and doctors on protection of professional secrets, and proceedings regarding safety complications.
They have already started implementing measures regarding the respect of rights to information, and cooperation at treatment, as well as patient's consent in cases where larger risk is expected.
The commission which had performed the control at the Neurology Clinic among other things established that communications with patients and their relatives was mainly performed orally, also in cases involving decisions regarding withdrawal of treatment, or "do not resuscitate" instructions. The law on patient’s rights in such cases obliges the doctor to give clear oral and written explanations.
It was also established that patients and their relatives have not been included in the decision-making process on medical care as they should have been. Instead of their actual participation in decision-making, they had only been informed of the treatment, STA reports.
Možina: UMC is a safe institution
The report has disclosed a number of irregularities at the Neurology Clinic regarding treatment of patients, prescription of drugs, and relations between the employees. It should be considered as a teaching material for all the Slovenian hospitals, said the President of the Medical Chamber of Slovenia Andrej Možina for RTV Slovenia.
In his opinion the problem can be found in the fact that in Slovenia "we have been writing numerous rule books and recommendations, but are paying less and less attention to how much these are respected and followed. Were such irregularities found at a hairdresser's, the inspection would close it in a jiffy. But the University Medical Centre can't be closed. The work there must continue, 24 hours per day," he said.
He is convinced that in spite of the disclosed irregularities the UMC still can be considered a safe institution, but these events have instigated fear among patients. "They are scared, they actually fear stepping inside. They ask whether they have been admitted to the same ward in which people are being killed, and similar questions," the head of the Medical Chamber continued his explanation.