A boy aged one year and a half, who suffered burns on 30% of the body, is in hospital in a critical condition. He was rushed by the “Aviasan” Service of Straseni to the National Children’s Hospital “Emilian Cotaga” in Chisinau. Burns Section head Gheorghe Vicol has told IPN that it is for the second time that this child was admitted to the hospital with burns. The first time he was hospitalized five months ago.

According to the doctor, the mother boiled water in order to bathe the boy. When she went out of the room for a moment, the child, who remained unsupervised, fell into the bathtub. He scalded his legs, hands, abdomen and face. The boy is now in the reanimatology section and the doctors are reserved as to his chances of survival.

Gheorghe Vicol said that five months ago, when the boy was admitted to the hospital, the parents were warned about the dangers to which the children are exposed at home and what they should do to avoid them. But the situation repeated. The cases when the children are taken to the hospital with similar problems are often. This wouldn’t have happened if the parents had been careful.

According to the head of the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention Daniela Samboteanu, an article in the Criminal Code refers to the putting of children in danger, but there are not many cases of condemnation based on this article. Daniela Samboteanu considers that the informing of parents is an aspect on which the authorities must insist. Depriving the parents of their tights is not always a solution. “There must be a parents’ school and there should be programs and training seminars for parents where to speak about home accidents and their consequences,” said the expert.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Health, the accidents at home endanger the lives of eight children younger than five daily. A study of the REPEMOL project “Regionalization of the pediatric emergency and intensive care services”, only 66% of the parents realize the risks that their children face at home.