Nine newborn deaths: Russia arrests senior hospital staff

Moscow: Russian police have arrested the chief physician and the acting head of intensive care at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 in southern Siberia after nine newborns died earlier this month, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the two hospital officials have been charged with negligence and causing death through negligence. The deaths occurred between January 4 and January 12, 2026, and are alleged to have resulted from substandard performance of their official medical duties.

The exact causes of death have not yet been established. Prosecutors said forensic examinations are under way for each case. Regional health authorities stated that the babies were suffering from various illnesses transmitted during pregnancy or childbirth.

The hospital announced on Tuesday that it had stopped admitting patients due to a high incidence of respiratory infections. Reports in the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda suggested the facility was facing severe staff shortages, although the hospital has denied lacking personnel.

The incident has sparked widespread anger and concern among politicians and commentators, drawing attention to long-standing staffing and funding gaps in Russia’s medical system. Valentina Matvienko, speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, described the deaths as a tragedy and said such an incident must never be repeated.

The governor of the Kuzbass region ordered inspections of all maternity and pre-natal hospitals in the area following the deaths. Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Yana Lantratova said that allowing multiple infant deaths at a single maternity hospital in such a short period amounted to a crime against the country, particularly amid Russia’s ongoing demographic crisis.

Novokuznetsk, a city of around half a million people, has another maternity hospital which remains operational, the regional health ministry confirmed.
(With AFP inputs)