Read about the brutal treatment of 26-year old Estonian who perished in Tallinn hospital
See below also: the battle for Patient Rights Law, justice; notes about cover-up by some medical authorities in Estonia, officials and medical personnel, criticism by the United Nations regarding the violation of human rights in some Estonian hospitals.In spring 2010, nearly half a year later, criminal investigation was launched by Estonian Prosecution Office regarding the death of my 26-year old son who perished in Tallinn biggest hospital on October 15, 2009 after enormously brutal treatment. The latter included some most inhuman actions like chaining him (both his hands) to bed for a week against his will, freezing him to less than 35 by morning being left naked next to open window in chilly October without blanket that the staff had taken away, harming his health with several medical and non-medical wrongdoings. Like injecting him a brain suppressing drug that since the second day in hospital during a week made him to loose ability to speak, almost all hearing, swalloing ability etc.
In just a week since we had went to hospital for a study his condition had worsened totally and the hospital feeded him also with Xanax against his will after he had started to feel he is going to be killed.
His doctor, a surgeon decided already on day he was signed it to hospital wrongly that his brain is full of tumor (no tumor in brain was found after he perished 3 weeks later), violated the law hiding the results of screening from us both that said he might have another illness instead and didnt bother to make necessary analyses, ordering him a massive injections of brain supressing drug despite we kept saying he has not headache at all.
It was only on 12nd day in hospital when the doctor had changed that my son was finally shown to doctor who made quickly several analyzes and found out he had two side bacterial pneumonia (streptococcus), saying it was so obvious for him from first look even before the analyses.
Finally, antibiotics were ordered and just two days later his condition had dramatically improved. But the same evening when I had left that day he was seduced with narcosis again after being tortured by staff who had chained his both hands to bed and woke him up performing "coma test", pressing his eyes and other gentle parts etc as I read from his file months later.
After we had agreed the switch of hospital his doctor in charge disappeared without notice to family to holiday and the agreed switchover to another hospital was ruined.
Until I had agreed to move him to another hospital where we were offered a private room I could stay with him 24 hours, nobody, even the staff that was cruel to him, had been unpolite to me, but since that all changed. The staff told me my 26 year old son has to die and there is not need to change the hospital, his multiple help request that I validated to take him off from medicine that made him feel very bad were ignored, our wish to change hospital was ruined, he was then seduced several times with narcosis.
Three days before he lost his life he was declared wrongly being in final comatose to get rid of me. I refused to leave and two hours later my son who had just been seduced with narcosis woke up in my arms. After that the doctor ordered him massive pencilline injections that caused him problems with breathing, but regardless of that - another massive penicilline injection was done that stopped his ability to breath itself.
The injections were done by Yehovah Witness nurse who lied later she had made two massive injections in line and that the injections didnt cause a problem despite it all happened in front of 5 witnesses who have also testified it.
After my son fell into coma due to the penicilline shock and needed breathing machine he was left for his last days without any food, water and was taken off from all the Dexamethazone without telling family the drug prescription says that drug should be taken off only gradually and sudden cut will cause death.
Claiming the brutal decisions were done bcs he was brain dead by the time (despite computer test didnt show it) failed again two days later, on his last day alive when his pulse reacted on monitor in front of 5 people several times to my speech as do only live people. Regardless of that and my desperate plea no food, no drug were put back and late same evening before the midnight I was suddenly asked to leave the hospital that I did fearing I will be kicked off anyway after being threaten many times and he will be taken off from breathing machine. When I started to return hospital few hours later, 5 in morning and called hospital I was told he was gone. This is Estonia, member of European Union, 21th century. You will feel completely helpless when you end up in hands of bastards for whom the words humanity, human rights, patients rights, European Charter of Patients' Rights, UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment mean absolutely nothing.
The list of torture and wrongdoing episodes is much longer than noted here. You can probably find many normal doctors and nurses in Estonia, but it is matter of gambling, you never know in hands of whom you will end up. After the brutal treatment of my son in Tallinn biggest hospital became public in autumn 2009 hundreds of people revealed in newspaper sites their own inhuman experiences with themselves or their love-ones in Estonian, mostly Tallinn hospitals where most of leading staff has got their education and moral or lack of it from Soviet era when human life and need for dignity and respect to all patients, meant nothing. According to the two studies compiled by Estonian Justice Ministry and revealed in September 2009 and June 2010 Estonian doctors are the most corrupted professionals in that country. Regardless of that, none of the corrupted doctors has ever faced courtroom in Estonia. In summer 2010 United Nations pointed out in its report to several misdoings in Tallinn closed medical institutions. Since the Soviet era hospitals in Estonia have lived like above the law and one might easily come to conclusion the corruption in that system is much wider and goes far behind the medical system.
Among the people who contacted me in autumn 2009 was also Estonia MP who had witnessed himself a brutal treatment and torture of his own father in Tallinn hospital and proposed me to make some joint efforts to change the inhuman system of patients treatment in Estonia that even lacks the law of Patients Rights. Another MP who had faced inhuman treatment of his wife in Tallinn hospitals and made them public in 2006, three years before us, wishing to change something for better but two months later his heart failed. I was also contacted by several doctors, one well known doctor even by same hospital who wrote me the inhuman treatment of hospitals and dangerous injections and overdoses often made upon the decisions of nurses themselves are the biggest problems in Estonian hospitals. I was also contacted immediately by the President of Estonian Nurses Association who wrote me a compassionate letter and expressed her sincere belief the Soviet era mentality and often very inhuman system in Estonia hospitals should be changed, adding our case is unfortunately not a seldom case like that. But far not all acted same.
When I revealed in November 2009 what had happened in hospital (my friends and colleagues knew it long before) I didnt imagine the scale of harassment and threats I am going to face. But I do not regret for a moment revealing it and my suffering is really nothing compared the hell my son had to face. If it helps to save at least some lives, to change something for better, revealing it has been worth it.
About complications of pneumonia/streptococcus: when left untreated in severe cases infection may spread from the lungs to the heart and can even spread throughout the body, sometimes causing abscesses in the brain and other organs.
Member of Estonian parliament about the torture of his father in Tallinn hospital
After the case described above was revealed on November 2, 2009, Toomas Trapido, member of the Estonian Parliament told both the public and parliament also about the torture of his father in one of Tallinn hospitals few years ago.
"In just two days since signing in to the hospital my father was illegally chained, and chemically/physically tortured. But unlike many other people who have faced the same, we were lucky to have a chance to switch the hospital and it was like switching from hell to paradise, " Trapido told parliament at the parliament session, initiated by his Green Party, requesting also the Social Minister Hanno Pevkur to comment the cases of abuse in hospitals.
Since Trapido whose mother has been herself a doctor all her life, spoke out about the torture and violation of human rights in Estonian hospitals, he was contacted by many patients and their families who spoke about their own similar experiences.
The attempts to force Social Ministry and its health officials to acknowledge the problems has been met by severe opposition from Social Ministry, health officials and the Social Minister Hanno Pevkur who has tolerated for long the ongoing violation of the so-called medical errors complaints commission at the ministry even in cases when the violation has been clearly proved.
One of the most deepest violation of the commission that has been long led by long time Soviet health official and doctor is including the staff of hospitals/colleagues of doctors accused to the commission against the Estonian legislation that strongly rejects it.
In addition the Social Ministry has also violated the rights of patients whose approval to handle the disputed cases in the commission and share the medical data to third parties has often even not been asked despite the legislation requests it. In some major cases patients have not been even told the names of the members of commission before the session neither have the patients been involved to investigation process - again, against the law.
Estonian Patient Advocacy Association who withdrew from the commission in January 2011, stated the commission is not objective, not accounting human rights or patient rights, and doctors who have even falsificated documents and commission members are not - unlike in court - charged even if they lie. Regardless of all that the Social Minister Hanno Pevkur from Reform Party (led by PM who is married to doctor) has not punished any health officials who have organized the violation of the legislation.
Another case: History teacher speaks out how her 22-year old son was told to die anyway, left without treatment, starved to 33-kg
On New Years Eve 2005 22-year old Estonian had a traffic accident and was taken to Tallinn biggest hospital, after month in emergency department - still in comatose - he was taken to neurosurgery department and as he had got the MRSA virus in hospital left alone in room for weeks with his mom allowed to visit him only one hour per day. The doctors told mother his son has zero chances to survive and left the boy without treatment that could have avoided his later health problems. After the weeks in that Tallinn hospital he was taken to another establishment of the same hospital in Keila where he was starved to 33-kg by the time a nurse told family to take the boy home immediately or he will die.
"The nurse said their department was going to holiday and in other department it would take few days - and we will loose him. I also found out they had feeded him almost with nothing else but just a water. When I asked another nurse then how is it possible they treat him like this she made me clear I am not normal if I cant understand that he is not starving but his brain is so damaged its not absorbing any food. He was 33-kg when he arrived home and we started to treat and feed him ourselves. After being six months in comatose he woke up at home and step by step we won him back to life. He has no brain damage at all. Only after we met a doctor who started to treat him to get him off from bed, and stand again, we felt first time we had met a doctor who really cared for him. Five years later we are still struggling with results of the doctors who left him without treatment that could have avoided the muscle problems he now has," history teacher E. Lindmäe told at the seminar in Tallinn at Parliament Conference centre on Jan. 21, 2011.
Another Estonian teacher, R. Pener wrote in February 2011 in a long article (at weekly EE site) "You should have a really strong, iron-strong health when you got to meet a doctor or to hospital in Estonia./.../The work of doctors could be so much better without these annoying patients in that country. /.../It is good to live in Estonia until you have a close relations with ruling political elite and until you have a very good health."
Ex-Interior Minister was first to reveal brutal treatment of patients
First who revealed the inhuman treatment of patients in Tallinn hospitals was Estonian -ex-Interior Minister and Member of Parliament R. Lepikson who saw the inner life of hospitals in Tallinn and way off more human Germany during the battle with the illness his wife had. Revealing in 2006 what he had seen in hospitals after the death of his wife was followed unfortunately two months later with his own fatal heart attack but his powerful message has been strongly remembered.Since that many more similar cases have been released but not much has changed.
