She could have been saved if she had undergone surgery / Sister of pregnant 37-year-old who died on the way to Tirana: The baby was fine when she left by…

The sister of 37-year-old Marjana Karolina Bunaj, who died several days ago while being transported to Tirana for more specialized medical care, has described how the situation was handled in Pogradec.

Speaking on the program “Me Zemër të Hapur,” she said that her sister had called her to say she was experiencing severe abdominal pain, after which they immediately went to the hospital.

She stressed that the doctor on duty had said there was internal bleeding and that a helicopter was needed to take her immediately to Tirana. Her sister said the doctor had even called a surgeon, but the surgeon did not come.

“She said a helicopter was needed. She was very worried. She said a surgeon was needed. She called a surgeon; I heard her say ‘he didn’t come’ or ‘he didn’t want to come,’ I’m not sure which. Half an hour later, they called me again because the test results were ready, and I went back up to the hospital. Her doctor was called from the moment I went to pick up my sister,” she said.

According to her, if her sister had been taken into surgery immediately, instead of being delayed for several hours, she and the baby would have survived.

She also said that the baby’s vital signs had been good before her sister was transported by ambulance, where she later died on the way.

“They could have transferred her to Korçë, because the operating room in Pogradec is functional. There simply wasn’t a doctor available at that moment. The doctor was a gynecological surgeon. I don’t know, but if there had been an operating room, I think they both would have survived,” she added.

Excerpt from her account:

“The situation could have been prevented. She called me at 12 and said, ‘Come, I’m not feeling well.’ I went very quickly. We picked her up and took her to the hospital. The doctor on duty was there. She came very quickly; the nurse on duty attached the equipment to measure her blood pressure, and at that moment it was not low. But the second time, her blood pressure had dropped. The doctor was there within minutes. She told me she had severe abdominal pain. I took the test results and went upstairs with them. When I came back down, the doctor said the baby was fine. When she performed another ultrasound, she said there was internal bleeding. She said a helicopter was needed. She was very worried. She said a surgeon was needed. She called a surgeon; I heard her say ‘he didn’t come’ or ‘he didn’t want to come,’ I’m not sure which. Half an hour later, they called me again because the test results were ready, and I went back up to the hospital. Her doctor had been called from the moment I went to pick up my sister. He said, ‘I’m not there.’”

“The doctor said she needed to be taken urgently to Tirana. When I went downstairs, I did not accompany her because it was not my responsibility. I couldn’t accompany her as a nurse. The resuscitation specialist said, ‘We cannot accompany her because she is pregnant.’ Later, I heard that someone had to issue an order. I asked, ‘Who?’ The director, they said, and I said I would call him. As I was reaching for the phone, I was told, ‘Leave it, I’ve resolved it.’ They took her by ambulance and brought her upstairs. I kept asking, ‘Why aren’t we leaving?’ The ambulance was ready, but they were waiting for another nurse. My sister was responsive; she had even asked one of the colleagues there, ‘Will the baby survive?’ I was at the maternity hospital at 12:10. At around 2 o’clock, we went up to the resuscitation ward, when I thought we would be leaving for Tirana. She set off in the ambulance sometime around 4 or 4:20. The operating room is functional, but there was no doctor. They could have transferred her to Korçë, because the operating room in Pogradec is functional. There simply wasn’t a doctor available at that moment. The doctor was a gynecological surgeon. I don’t know, but if there had been an operating room, I think they both would have survived.”