In Karaganda, a court upheld a local resident's claim for compensation for moral harm caused by the inadequate provision of medical care to her 16-year-old son, who subsequently died.
According to the press service of the Supreme Court, in March 2023, the teenager, accompanied by his mother, was admitted to the emergency department of a children's hospital with complaints of a high temperature, weakness, and lethargy, which had persisted for about ten days.
Despite the severity of his condition, the medical staff merely offered hospitalisation in a 24-hour inpatient ward. As stated in the court decision, the mother's refusal of hospitalisation was not properly documented, and the need for round-the-clock observation and examination was not explained to her.
The patient was placed in a day hospital, although, according to the conclusions of a forensic medical examination and specialists from the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control, the clinical picture required round-the-clock observation.
He was prescribed antibacterial therapy without a prior blood culture test for sterility. Violations in the maintenance of medical records were also identified.
Later, following a deterioration in his condition and a suspected malignant neoplasm, the teenager was eventually hospitalised. However, the court found that the hospital management and the healthcare department did not take timely measures to organise a consultation involving republican specialists, telemedicine consultations, or to address the issue of transferring him to a specialised centre.
Furthermore, the general practitioner failed to properly assess the changes in the blood test and did not refer the patient to a specialised republican institution.
A month after the initial visit, the teenager died in the intensive care unit of a republican clinic. An inspection by the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control, with the involvement of relevant specialists, confirmed violations in the provision of medical services.
The court of first instance found the plaintiff's claims justified and awarded in her favour 5 million tenge in compensation for moral harm from three medical organisations.
The appeal panel upheld the decision, stating that the parents continue to suffer severe emotional distress due to the loss of their child.