Ministry of Health opens investigation into sexual abuse of psychiatric patients at La Victoria Hospital

The Ministry of Health of Bogotá opened a preliminary investigation to the Central East Integrated Health Services Subnet for the events related to the alleged sexual abuse of patients, by a nursing assistant in the mental health unit of La Victoria Hospital.

The facts became known this week after a head nurse found the assistant hidden behind the door of one of the rooms during her break hour, after a patient screamed. After that, a series of complaints were heard from 17 psychiatric patients, one of whom is of a minor. According to the victims, the nurse waited until his victims were immobilized or asleep and subjected them to different sexual acts.

The Health entity also emphasized that, in addition to the administrative process sanctioning the Central East Integrated Health Services Subnet, they sent a copy of the file to the District Legal Secretariat, so that appropriate disciplinary actions are carried out to officials who may be responsible for the events.

“All of the above, in order to establish whether there were any omissions in the performance of the functions of servers or servers of the Central East Integrated Subnet of Health Services,” the Ministry of Health explained in a press release.

For its part, the Personería de Bogotá ordered on April 6 to begin the preliminary investigation of the Mental Unit of La Victoria Hospital. According to Silvia Juliana Arciniegas, the delegate for the Coordination of Disciplinary Power of the entity, Silvia Juliana Arciniegas, the investigation will be carried out with the aim of “verifying who is alleged to be responsible for these behaviors”.

In addition, the Women's Bureau will represent two of the victims judicially. It also reported that it will accompany any known case with its legal and psychological services, if required by the affected parties or their families.

“The Ministry of Health, as the governing body of health in the capital, continues to carry out a thorough review in the mental health units of the public and private hospital network, to verify the care provided to patients,” the entity concluded in the press release.

Nurse was not replaced due to lack of staff

Some hospital officials had previously reported that this person had inappropriate and strange behavior, but the corresponding decisions had not been made by the directives, arguing a lack of staff. “A year ago, that situation had been reported. I can't believe that over the abuse of a woman, it overcomes that there is a need for staff,” one employee told the newspaper El Tiempo.

This situation puts directives in the eye of the hurricane as it is likely that many of the abuses could have been avoided if appropriate measures had been taken in due course.

It should be recalled that the district temporarily closed the Mental Unit of the hospital center and relocated the other patients to other health institutions in Bogotá. Councilman Emel Rojas also summoned the mayor's office to a debate on political control over alleged sexual violence against patients.

“In relation to the alleged punishable acts that may have been committed, the judicial authorities shall be responsible for clarifying and imposing the corresponding sanctions. Likewise, it is up to the ethics courts to advance the proceedings related to the alleged ethical-professional failures of health personnel that may be involved,” said Claudia López's administration after hearing the cases.

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