Appeal Denied in Case of Nurse Convicted Over Deaths of Two Children in North Kazakhstan

The North Kazakhstan Regional Court has upheld the two-year prison sentence for nurse Aidana Beisembayeva, convicted in the deaths of two children from food poisoning in the village of Nadezhka, Qyzyljar district, Orda.kz reports.

The tragedy occurred when the Kovalenko family fell ill after eating pelmeni (Russian dumplings - Ed.) and drinking carbonated beverages. Beisembayeva visited the home several times but, according to the verdict, “did not prescribe full treatment, did not organize hospitalization, and did not report the incident.” 

Three-year-old Vasily died at home the next morning, and his six-year-old sister Alisa later died in hospital.

The court found that the nurse failed to take adequate action, as described in testimony from the children’s mother, Galina Kovalenko:

Then Beisenbayeva went into Kirill's room, where she stayed for about five minutes, then returned to the living room, where she picked up Vasily, who was lying on the floor, and put him on the sofa, but did not provide him with any assistance, did not examine him, did not take his temperature… Beisenbayeva did not give Vasily any tablets, the verdict indicates.

Former Health Minister Yelzhan Birtanov criticized the verdict, saying:

A sentence that places full responsibility on the only mid-level health worker in a village, in the context of a significant shortage of personnel in the region, has a devastating effect on the motivation and trust of rural health workers across the country. This could lead to a mass refusal of paramedics and nurses to provide emergency care in difficult situations for fear of criminal prosecution.

On appeal, presiding judge Sergey Viktorenko acknowledged possible failings by the children’s parents:

In any case, there was a doctor on duty at the Qyzyljar District Hospital. It was necessary to inform. Everyone was feeling unwell, they were vomiting, it was necessary to be wary, as there were small children. She did not offer to go to the hospital. There is no receipt for refusal of hospitalization, and we cannot say that such an offer was received. There are also questions about the behavior of the Kovalenko spouses, that they themselves did not go to the hospital. The victim explained that she felt unwell, and as for her husband, he showed inaction, but again - his is a moral responsibility, and this does not relieve Aidana Kairatovna of responsibility. She is a medical worker with special knowledge, and she could have assumed how all this could end.

Original Author: Kristina Yusicheva