Romanian prosecutors to probe deaths of 150 children at Marie Curie Hospital

The Foundation for the Defense of Citizens against State Abuse (FACIAS) filed a complaint with Romanian prosecutors after public reports indicated that 150 children died over the past six years while awaiting a bed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Marie Curie Children’s Hospital in Bucharest. The NICU is legally authorized for 22 beds but was operating with five extra patients, and a shortage of staff limited its ability to admit new critical cases. Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoveanu said two of the recent deaths occurred within the last two weeks and that seven severely ill newborns remain on the waiting list. FACIAS is urging investigators to determine the circumstances of the deaths and identify the officials and institutions responsible, promising to follow the case until accountability is established.