Another tiny victim of Giulesti dies this morning

One more of the surviving six babies fighting for their lives after the fire at Giulesti twenty seven days ago left them severely burnt and on life-support died this morning at G.Alexandrescu Hospital, says Ziare, bringing the total number of new-born victims now to six.

The baby had been continually intubated since his arrival at the G.Alexandrescu Hospital and was the most critically ill of the six, suffering from pneumonia, carbon monoxide poisoning, kidney failure and 45-50% burns to his tiny body. He had been revived twice following two heart attacks. Vai de mine, how much can a miniscule little body endure over twenty seven days... The remaining five are said to be doing as well as can be expected, have put on weight and are being continually monitored on ITU.

I cannot begin to imagine the pain racking the surviving babies, nor the psychological agony of their parents and the terrible grief of those who have had to bury their new-borns over the last month following the appalling tragedy at Giulesti.

Florentina Carstea remains in prison and this news must be excruciating for her, too, for whatever her portion of guilt, she loved the babies for whom she cared in a necrotic, terminally ill system run by people who couldn't have cared less. Vasile Dima and Adrian Toma remain free whilst under supposed investigation. Marinescu and Ranga are...where exactly? We don't have a single titbit of news. Cseke remains in office... even after the cabinet reshuffle, nothing has changed. Sure, Oprescu has seen to it that Giulesti ITU has been revamped and fire detection equipment apparently installed (or about to be) in all hospitals under Townhall jurisdiction. But this is not enough. Indeed, nothing has changed. The Boc government continues to freeze jobs and wards are run at a less than minimum staff limit... These six babies, five now buried and another soon to be, are all victims of Roumania's inhuman, totally failed and highly incompetent health system.

May this little baby, innocent in all this mess, unable to run, unable to be heard, rest in peace. May his parents somehow find the strength to deal with their loss and grief in a country where the government condemns babies to death in a desperately sick health system.

This morning, I had breakfast with a Roumanian friend studying here. She has always said she would move back when her studies are done and dusted for she misses her family dreadfully. With tears plopping into her tea she told me that she had decided not to go home for good. Just for holidays. "Roumania is dying," she said. "It has gone past the point of no return...as long as Boc, Basescu, idiots like that Udrea are in government - all securists - there is nothing to be done. I dreamed that with my studies, me and the 20-30 friends who've all left to study abroad, y'know, I thought we could all go home and do something, make a difference, do something good for our country. But now I know that if we ever did, whatever we created would be taken away as soon as it was successful, that we would be stripped of anything we tried to do... our best chances are outside Roumania now." It was the most depressing conversation we had ever had for we have, both of us, always had some hope, no matter how small, how remote. Hope that people would rise up, people would demand change, the government would be overthrown and someone better take the chair in Basescu's place. Now we realise how naive we were and how hopeless the situation is. My friend is right. Roumania is dying... and this morning I felt the light I have in my heart for this beautiful country begin to dim. It hurts beyond comprehension.

Comments

[sairj]

Dear Parabone,
Thank you so much for leaving your comment and sharing your experience... an excellent question - what about mental health hospitals... Mental health in Roumania, well, I never addressed it since you are the first person I have had contact with to have worked in any form of psychiatric unit in the country - and to be honest, the very thought of it chills me to the bone. I am so glad you have been able to find a position somewhere else, somewhere better where the system works and nurses are treated with the respect they deserve by patients who deserve, in their turn, good nurses.

I think everyone believes that the health service has actually teetered over the edge in Roumania...but no one seems to have the power (nor enough desire) to do anything about it. Indeed, the golden question 'how could this be changed'... I don't know anymore. I just don't know. I never thought the day would dawn when I, too, would run out of hope for a country I love so much, but yesterday was the first. As long as the same people govern the country, destroying it little by little along with any ounce of hope that could ever exist then I do not know the answer.

Nobody seems to have the strength or the courage to fight anymore, to rise up, to demand better. Perhaps they don't think they deserve better? Perhaps they believe that this is how it is so 'merge si asa'? Perhaps one must experience life elsewhere in order to go back and see how far gone things are, how obscenely outrageous things have become and how abused the Roumanian population is by those that govern, those in positions of responsibility and trust. I'm not just talking about the health system, but the justice system, education - all forms of system. Those believing that the 'lovilutie' would improve life have been condemned to assassinated hopes and dreams.

If you have any thoughts on how things could get better, please tell me for I am 'au bout du rouleau' as the French say. I am out of expectations.

Thank you so much, once again for writing and good luck in Denmark.
sairj

[parabone]

sarah...what about mental health hospitals?

do you know how people work there?...good i left.otherwise, god knows what could happend.

let me give you a short brief about the working conditions in a psychiatric acute unit in Romania...

in a day shift(business days)...i had about 7-9, maybe 10 patients.
evening&night shifts...the number rise to 40-50.because i was the only registered nurse on shift..with one care helper....and no physician...can you imagine that?...i had to deal with all the admissions...obviously above job description...and we're talking about a psychiatric acute care unit...adding to that...2-3 patients with severe conidtiona as result of alcohol consumption(i refer to deliriul tremens)...that's guite a nice place to work, one might say.

and the same on weekends

how, in god's name, whoever him might be, wherever he could be...a person could work in such conidtions?and yet, can.not just one, but thousands of nurses are working in inhuman , abominable and stressfull environments.

i'm sad.because you are right.Romania's health system is dying...does not save lives...but KILLS.

how could this be changed?...when no one believes that?...

after a short stay in UK, at the moment i'm working as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital in Denmark.
if, someone at the hospital, would ask me to show them my former workplace and take a trip to Romania...i would surely had to refuse him politely...how cam someone be proud with a extermination camp, eufemistically called Hospital?