The office of the director of the Mother and Child Institute Stefan Gatcan in the morning of December 10 was closed up and will be guarded at the instructions of Marin Rotaru, who heads the Obstetrics Department and who was named director of the Institute on December 7, by order of acting minister of health Ruxanda Glavan. Stefan Gatcan, who is on medical leave, challenged the acting minister’s order, saying this was made illegally given that the post of director is not vacant.

Contacted by IPN, Marin Rotaru said that the office wasn’t closed up, but rather placed under the institution’s guardianship. As he was named director, he was to move to the office occupied by Stefan Gatcan, but this told him over the phone that he is on medical leave and has valuable things in the office. To make sure that the things inside the office are safe, the office was locked and will be guarded so that nobody has access to it.

Stefan Gatcan disputes the order of Ruxanda Glavan and demands that this be annulled. According to him, the director is appointed at a contest held by ensuring the equal access of the candidates, taking into account their professional qualifications, experience in the field and managerial skills, not by an order. Moreover, the post of director is not vacant.

Also, Gatcan said that the new director was named without taking into consideration his professional abilities. Marin Rotaru was fired from the post of vice director of the Perinatal Center of the Mother and Child Institute by an order of the Ministry of Health of April 8, 2013. This questions his competence.

Ştefan Gatcan has told IPN that the closing up of his office at the instructions of Marin Rotaru represents a violation of the human rights and abuse of power and he will thus go to court to challenge these acts and the acting minister’s order.