As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Rijeka Hospital has confirmed the termination of the contracts of three staff members, stating that “they were forced to terminate their contracts due to the protection of patients’ interests and the necessity of preventing further material damage to the institution and to the state budget”. Unofficially, it has been circulating that the value of the drugs which had been hidden and stored is in the millions.
The former president of the Clinic, a former head nurse and a nurse from the departmental pharmacy all allegedly received extraordinary dismissals.
Regarding the above, the appropriate reports were submitted to the competent judicial authorities. That is why at this moment in time, the directorate of Rijeka Hospital explained, they’re unable to provide additional information.
Unofficially, it has been circulating that a large quantity of expired cytostatics was found not in the ward pharmacy, but in the cellar warehouse of the Clinic. According to the rules, these drugs, some of which are very expensive and are procured specifically for an individual patient, would have to be returned to the hospital pharmacy and properly stored if not used. Where did such quantities of drugs, the value of which is still being assessed, come from in the cellar? Whether they were being given to patients or simply hidden away down there is not yet known. However, the hospital has stated that this is completely illegal.
According to Rijeka Hospital, the treatment and lives of the patients were not endangered by these very serious violations of obligations of the employment relationship.
Material damage
Inadequately stored and hidden medicines undoubtedly point to the negligent doing of business and severe material damage. Rijeka Hospital’s directorate has stated that “During the internal procedures undertaken to properly determine the condition, the directorate prepared a proposal for one nurse, due to her age, to be transferred to an easier position (in which she will not be responsible for medicines and consumables). That employee cancelled the agreed meeting with the administration right before the start. We had no knowledge of the employee’s serious illness,” they said from the directorate.
According to Rijeka Hospital, the work of the Radiotherapy and Oncology Clinic is going smoothly.
Expensive drinks, jewellery, art…
Novi list has reported that hospital circles have learned that, among other things, 74 bottles of expensive alcoholic beverages have been found on the official premises of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology, the introduction of which is prohibited by the regulations of Rujeka Hospital from 2019. The drinks being there represents a serious violation of employee obligations, and other items that must not be stored in the Clinic premises, such as pieces of gold jewellery, art, and more than 150 used gift bags, were also allegedly dscovered.
It is estimated that the material damage amounts to more than one million euros in total, encompassing expensive medicines, othe types of medical equipment and materials that were improperly stored, i.e. hidden in the clinic’s cellar in special locked rooms to which three female employees only had access. It had been very strictly ordered that no one apart from them may enter those hospital premises.
Extraordinary dismissals
As a rule, the extraordinary termination of an employment contract is done due to properly established serious violations of employment duties and comes into force on the day of delivery of the decision. In this case, workers don’t have the right to a notice period and severance pay, all their work rights cease and they don’t have the right to unemployment benefits.
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