CHISINAU, (Reuters) – Doctors at a Moldovan state-run hospital used household tools, including an electric drill and pliers, to perform surgery in a video leaked to local press and published on the Internet, prompting outrage among the public and government officials.
Local television stations ran the short but graphic video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6k8T5gfzBc), recorded at a children’s hospital in Chisinau, repeatedly on Monday.
Prime Minister Iurie Leance ordered Healthcare Minister Andrei Usatii on the same day to investigate the incident.
Usatii, in turn, told local television that while the use of household tools was allowed in certain circumstances, the hospital in question had adequate specialised equipment.
“The hospital had been given three new drilling machines, I don’t understand why they had to use a construction drill,” he said.
Nicolae Starciuc, head physician at the hospital, told local media he suspected disgruntled doctors had leaked the video to discredit him.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 4 million, is one of the poorest nations in Europe with an average monthly wage of about $300.
