Is it really that bad? A nurse admitted that disposable syringes are reused in Latvia 0 17

The mother of a child, Laima, reported that in early June she and her baby were taken to the Jekabpils Regional Hospital, where the child was prescribed the inhalation medication Ventolin. In one of the syringes intended for dosing the medication, she noticed a white sediment and foreign particles. After her observation, the medical staff replaced the medication solution.

Later, the woman saw a white substance at the plunger of the syringe and photographed it. Fearing for the quality of the medication, she refused to use it and sought clarification from the staff.

According to the patient, one of the nurses confirmed that syringes for dosing medications are disinfected and reused. After Laima's request, she was given a new syringe in factory packaging and a new medication solution was prepared.

The patient reported the incident to several hospital staff, including a pediatrician and an emergency room doctor. The pediatrician, citing patient data protection requirements, refused to comment on the situation, while the doctor stated that he did not remember the details of the specific case.

The Health Inspectorate confirmed that they would conduct an investigation. However, they will not provide additional comments until the investigation is completed.

Jury lawyer and patient rights expert Solvita Olsen noted that in Latvia, incidents related to patient safety are often not investigated actively enough, and patients find it difficult to achieve a full review of their complaints. According to her, in this case, the photograph taken by the patient may play an important role.