Romanian medics under investigation for allegedly reusing implants from dead patients

Five medics in Romania have landed in trouble for allegedly using medical implants extracted from corpses in patients. The doctors are now facing a criminal probe, according to a statement issued by Romanian prosecutors on Saturday. One of the doctors, who worked at a hospital situated in the city of Iasi, was arrested on charges of abusing one's power and taking bribes.

The medic, whose name has not been revealed, was responsible for managing a team of four other physicians who helped him reuse medical implants such as pacemakers. The team did not seek permissions or approvals while removing implants from patients who had died.

Prosecutors said that the doctor performed 238 surgical procedures over the course of seven years starting from 2017, and illegally used the implants taken from dead patients or those whose provenance remained unclear, thus putting new patients at risk for life-threatening complications.

Prosectors issue statement on illegal reuse of implants by doctors 

“A large part of the implants recommended by the doctor were not necessary and were prompted by fake diagnoses or by previously prescribed medication that would trigger specific symptoms,” read an excerpt of the statement, according to CNN. The news comes as Romania continues to ignore its dwindling healthcare system that has faced the brunt of poor management, bribery and inefficiencies.

In the past 30 years, the country has constructed merely one hospital with expenditure on healthcare being at an all-time low. As a result of the circumstances, tens of thousands of nurses and doctors have relocated to other nations to seek better opportunities and livelihoods.