The family of Cristina Sârbuleț, who died as a result of an in vitro fertilization procedure at the start of September, is skeptical about the results of the medical-legal examination, which showed that the woman died because of COVID-19. The family’s lawyer Sorina Arnăuț, in a news conference at IPN, said the results of the examination seem distorted and far from the reality.

“We have already a criminal case started in this case. As part of the investigation, we were familiarized with the medical-legal examination report of November 10, 2021. We consider this is evidently distorted and aberrant. The expert report says that the death of Sârbuleț Cristina occurred due to infection with SARS COVID-19,” said the lawyer.

According to Sorina Arnăuț, they try to change the course of the investigation by mean ways so that the persons to blame are not held accountable. The Ministry of Health constituted a commission that is to examine this case and the family’s lawyer calls on the members of this commission to show professionalism and equidistance.

Veronica Cernogal, a close relative of the Sârbuleț couple, said the conclusion was provided in 13 weeks, not in three-six weeks as the regulations stipulate and they doubt this conclusion. “Since August 26 until September 2, which is the date of death, I had access to Cristina’s ward daily, as did her husband and her mother. As she died from COVID-19, why did they allow us to visit her? Why was the medical staff without masks and equipment? This shows that there was no such a virus. Furthermore, Cristina wasn’t isolated or under intensive care due to COVID-19. She was under ordinary intensive therapy, with another 10-15 patients nearby,” stated Veronica Cernogal.

According to her, the young woman was done a test for COVID-19 on August 28 and this was allegedly positive, but the doctors didn’t inform the patient’s family about this. All the results were good before the in vitro fertilization procedure.

Ștefan Sârbuleț, the young woman’s husband, said he asked that members of the family be allowed to attend the meetings of the Ministry of Health’s commission, but he met with refusal.      

If the family disagrees also with the commission’s conclusion, it will ask for a medical-legal examination abroad. The doctors with whom the Sârbuleț family discussed consider the 30-year-old woman died because of the anesthetics administered to her during the procedure to extract oocytes. The complaint submitted by the family to the Prosecutor’s Office says the medical institution didn’t issue a sales slip for the services for which they paid – €3,000 for surgery and 500 lei for each visit made by the woman to the hospital.