The death of a patient at a Derbent maternity hospital has led to a criminal case

Investigators in Dagestan have found doctors to be at fault in the death of a 34-year-old Derbent resident during childbirth, despite the Ministry of Health citing a dangerous complication in her condition. 

A criminal case has been opened in connection with the death of a woman in a Derbent maternity hospital under the article on negligence (Part 2 of Article 293 of the Russian Criminal Code provides for up to five years of imprisonment or forced labor). 

A patient at a Derbent maternity hospital died during childbirth in December. There are no specific suspects in the criminal case yet, but investigators believe the medical staff failed to properly perform their duties, according to an official statement from the republic's Investigative Committee. 

The Dagestan Ministry of Health reported the tragic incident in Derbent on December 11, following an expert investigation. The ministry suspected the woman's death was related to an amniotic fluid embolism. "This complication develops suddenly and is highly fatal," the Ministry of Health stated on its official Telegram channel.

 The " Caucasian Knot " reported that patients at a maternity hospital in Derbent repeatedly complained about the quality of medical care. For example, in February 2021, a woman who had lost her baby succeeded in having four employees dismissed. However, this did not result in criminal charges. The commission concluded that "the newborn's diagnosis left no chance of survival," although it acknowledged that the medical staff "underestimated the seriousness of the pregnant woman's condition." 

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that in July 2018, a woman in labor with her baby died at the perinatal center of the Khasavyurt Central City Hospital. Her relative subsequently assaulted a doctor. Security forces placed the maternity hospital under guard. Just a few days after the patient's death, the hospital's head physician was fired. The perinatal center's obstetrician was charged with "causing death by negligence due to improper performance of professional duties." The case was sent to court in November 2019. In the same Khasavyurt, in 2017, five doctors  stood trial  for the death of a woman in labor in January 2016. Her relatives, in protest, threw stones at the maternity hospital.