Mother of an 18-month-old child, Naomi Musenga died on December 29, 2017 at the Strasbourg hospital after being treated with “an overall delay of nearly 02H20“, according to a report from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS).
Complaining of severe stomach pains, the young woman contacted the firefighters who transferred the call to the SAMU. The exchange between the two operators was already taking place “in a mocking tone”noted the Igas.
“I have got a very strong stomachache“, “I will die…” Naomi then breathed, struggling to express herself. “Yes, you will die, certainly one day like everyone else.“, retorted the regulator, using “a harsh, intimidating and inappropriate tone when faced with repeated requests for help“, still according to Igas. Before hanging up.
At the end of the conversation, the regulator had not forwarded the call to a regulating doctor, contrary to what the procedure required in the event of abdominal pain, and had not asked “no questions“to inform”the clinical condition of the patient“, pointed out the Igas.
The case sparked a wave of national outrage after recordings of the phone conversations were released to the media and on social media a few months later.
A regret at not seeing more people prosecuted because the hospital is a “chain of responsibility”
The operator, who was permanently suspended from the Samu, was indicted during the judicial investigation for failure to assist a person in danger.
The investigation was also opened for “manslaughter“. But according to scientific expertise, there is no “no causal link“between the delay in taking care of the young woman and her death. Naomi Musenga was already”beyond any therapeutic resource at the time of the first call to the emergency services“, the survey specifies.
The operator, aged 60, will therefore only have to answer for failure to assist a person in danger, for “not having respected the protocols“of support”and good practices” from the Samu, according to the prosecution. She faces five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.
Her lawyer Olivier Grimaldi contests these proceedings and also regrets that his client’s employer or superiors were not prosecuted.
“One can only be surprised that she is the only person accused in this case.” he told AFP in May.In a hospital, there is a chain of responsibilities. Many should have faced their responsibilities, not left a category C agent alone to face the facts that took place.“
A specific and mandatory diploma created to work in call regulation centers
The victim’s family, for their part, expressed their satisfaction at seeing this procedure result in a trial.
“We are waiting for this, because we have to move on. For several years, I have not had a proper life, I thought about nothing else all the time” said Louange Musenga, the victim’s sister.
However, she also regretted that the operator was the only person referred to court.There is a whole chain of responsibility that has not been identified.” she said.
https://www.whatsupdoc-lemag.fr/article/les-services-dacces-aux-soins-sas-obligatoires-cest-parti-tout-ce-quil-faut-savoir
In fact, the Igas report had indicated that “serious malfunctions“within Samu 67 and deplored that no”serious adverse event” had not been reported to the Regional Health Agency. Its director had resigned.
In July 2019, 18 months after the death of Naomi Musenga, the medical regulation assistant (ARM) diploma was created, now mandatory for working in emergency medical aid call regulation centers.
The diploma provides for 11 months of training, half of which takes the form of practical internships.
With AFP
