Human rights activists have repeatedly complained to the authorities about acts of violence and inadequate care in nursing homes throughout Romania.
Photo: Shutterstock
In Romania, a routine inspection of nursing homes has sparked a scandal that could cost many ministers their seats.
Hundreds of elderly Romanian people were kept in terrible conditions: they were not fed, their diapers were changed every few days, there were huge bed sores and bruises on people’s bodies. Fearing checks that would inevitably reveal the overcrowding of the institution, the management of one of these houses removed 11 sick people and left them at one of the construction sites on the outskirts of Bucharest.
The raid was preceded by dozens of complaints from human rights activists who repeatedly denounced to the authorities the acts of violence and inadequate care (or lack thereof) in many nursing homes throughout Romania.
Already during the first visit to one of these houses, the representatives of the social services found dozens of malnourished elderly people, in whose bodies there were clear signs of physical abuse. The guests were beaten, forced to do physical labor, they were not given the prescribed medicines.
Romanians have already called these houses “Houses of Horrors”. All of this was reminiscent of a similar story that happened in Romania in the early 1990s. At the time, an inspection of orphanages showed similar results, which slowed down the process of Romania’s admission to the European Union.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Colacu demanded that the investigation continue and vowed to crack down on those responsible. He believes the problem is systemic and corrupt.
“I will not forgive the scoundrels who set up these terror havens. What villains, what cruelty, what inhumanity! We will find all the officials who, instead of protecting the weak, sold themselves to the devil. – he said.
The incident became known in the days when the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, participated in the next NATO summit. In Vilnius, he had to justify himself to the West and admit that the scandal had become a national embarrassment for Romanians.
– Everyone is to blame – who knew and did nothing, did not warn, did not intervene. – says the Romanian president.
Iohannis did not comment on reports that human rights activists have been pointing out the plight of residents of many nursing homes for a long time, but no checks were carried out and NGO representatives were blocked from accessing the shelters. .
Romania’s Labor Minister Marius Budei has resigned following the nursing home scandal. Marcel Colaku called Budaiya’s resignation an act of honor, noting that this is a natural reaction of a politician as a result of a crisis in any state.
