BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) 鈥� A hospital fire in the Romanian port city of Constanta killed at least seven COVID-19 patients Friday, prompting concerns over the state of the country's ageing health care infrastructure amid the pandemic. It was Romania's third deadly hospital fire in less than a year.
All the victims were in the intensive care unit of Constanta鈥檚 Hospital for Infectious Diseases, said Constantin Amarandei, head of the city's emergency inspectorate.
The health ministry said 113 patients were in the medical unit of the hospital and all the survivors have now been evacuated. The fire was extinguished by mid-morning.
The head of Romania鈥檚 Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, said 鈥渋rregularities鈥� had been discovered in the hospital鈥檚 electrical installations system and that the case prosecutor is investigating.
Prime Minister Florin Citu sent his condolences to the bereaved families and said it's 鈥渦nacceptable that such tragedies happen in Romanian hospitals.鈥�
鈥淚t is important for the Ministry of Health to see what the short-term solutions are so that such tragedies do not happen again,鈥� he told a press conference. He said he has demanded the dismissal of the hospital manager.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to change something after 30 years in which almost nothing was done in Romania鈥檚 health care system,鈥� Citu added.
President Klaus Iohannis said Romania 鈥渉as failed in its fundamental mission to protect its citizens.鈥�
鈥淚 am horrified by the tragedy that took place this morning at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Constanta,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is a terrible new drama that confirms the deficient infrastructure of the Romanian health system.鈥�
Iohannis said Romania鈥檚 鈥渙utdated鈥� health care system has been put under an 鈥渦nimaginable pressure鈥� by the pandemic.
Romania鈥檚 hospitals are facing an onslaught of hospitalizations due to a rapid surge of COVID-19 infections, which is stretching the country鈥檚 hospitals to maximum capacity.
Romania on Thursday recorded its highest number of infections since the pandemic started 鈥� 12,032 new cases.
The country of 19 million has the lowest spending on health care in the EU relative to GDP at 5.2%, compared with an EU average of 10%.
During the pandemic, fires in COVID-19 hospitals or wards have cost scores of lives in other countries 鈥� including another two in Romania.
Last November, 10 people died after a blaze tore through an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients in the northern Romanian town of Piatra Neamt. Another blaze in January engulfed a ward at Bucharest鈥檚 Matei Bals hospital, killing five people.
On Sept. 8, a fire in a COVID-19 field hospital in North Macedonia killed 14.
In Iraq, a fire in a COVID-19 ward in a hospital in the city of Nasiriyah, believed to have been started either by a short-circuit or an oxygen cylinder explosion, killed 92 people. In April, at least 82 people died in a Baghdad hospital blaze 鈥� many of them COVID-19 patients 鈥� after an oxygen tank exploded.
After Romania's Matei Bals fire, President Iohannis had called for urgent and 鈥減rofound鈥� reform. He said tragedies like it 鈥渕ust not happen again.鈥�
Vlad Mixich, a Romanian public health specialist, told The Associated Press that hospital fires in Romania are 鈥渋nevitable鈥� and said that the authorities need to urgently invest in new public hospitals.
鈥淚n the last 32 years only three small and medium-sized public hospitals were built in Romania,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen the ICUs are overcrowded due to the surge of COVID patients, these kinds of accidents are inevitable.鈥�
Mixich said that Romania鈥檚 ageing health care infrastructure 鈥渋s hardly compatible with modern medical technology.鈥�
Stephen Mcgrath, The Associated Press
