The chief medical officer of the UPU-SMURD (Emergency Department of Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication) in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca received a suspended prison sentence of one year and nine months for instructing personnel to concentrate medical support on emergencies instead of a police officer’s request to collect blood from drunk drivers.
The Kolozsvár Appeals Court ruled that Adela Golea, chief medical officer of the UPU-SMURD, was guilty of incitement to maladministration and incitement to commit a crime, Romanian media reports. Also, Golea must complete 60 days of community service, the final ruling reads.
Road police officers filed a lawsuit three years ago after they brought two drivers to the UPU-SMURD in Kolozsvár suspected of driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. According to judiciary sources, the policemen requested that a nurse collect blood samples in order to confirm the charges, but the nurse refused to comply, referring to Golea’s instructions, which clearly stated that emergencies have higher priority than drunk drivers. Other nurses also refused to fulfill the policemen’s request, but they equipped the officer with the necessary tools for collecting blood samples and instructed him to visit any of the six other hospitals in Kolozsvár.
The sentence is a weird one: Why receive a 21-month suspended prison sentence for prioritizing emergency cases?
Golea didn’t appeal the ruling because she has lost her faith in the Romanian legal system. “I only wish now to focus on my private life. I won’t appeal the ruling because I know how this trial went and it doesn’t make any sense to continue,” she told the Romanian press.
Title image: Adela Golea. Image source: Ziar de Cluj
