Ten patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Piatra Neamț County Hospital in Romania died as a result of a fire on November 14. The doctor on guard, who tried to save patients, suffered burns on 40% of the body. He was transferred to Belgium for treatment, IPN reports, quoting the local press.
There were 16 patients in the Intensive Care Unit on the second floor. Eight of them died there, while another two while being transferred to the hospital’s Emergency Admissions Unit. The saved patients were moved to Iasi. The cause of fire is not yet known, but it is alleged that the Intensive Care Unit worked in breach of the law.
Moldova’s Prime Minister Ion Chicu addressed a message of compassion to his Romanian counterpart Ludovic Orban. “We are near our brothers in Romania and the families affected by the tragic fire. We offer our sincere condolences to the grieving families and wish speedy recovery to those hurt,” reads the message.
The Consulate General in Iasi keeps in touch with the responsible authorities of Neamț County so as find out if there are victims among the Moldovans. There are no reports about Moldovan victims so far, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration has said.
