Russian Hospital Rat Attack is Blamed on Negligence

On January 28 the Serpukhov Children's Hospital in Serpukhov Russia was the scene of a gruesome rat attack. At around 4 p.m. nurses heard 1-year-old Anastasia cry out, and as they ran to her aid they saw a large rat jump from her bed. While the nurses tended to Anastasia the rat attacked eight-month-old Alexandra. After the attack the girls were moved to another Moscow hospital where they were treated for their injuries and given rabies shots. Doctors said that the girls were very weak but none of their injuries were life threatening.

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Social service workers placed Alexandra and Anastasia at Serpukhov Children’s Hospital after their parents abandoned them; they both have serious neurological disorders. They believed the girls would be well treated and receive the care they needed.

The hospital is described as having cracks in the walls, patches of mold, the air that is hard to breath due to the amount of moisture and it's been categorized as being in dangerously decrepit condition.

It took authorities around two hours to trap the rat; the remaining children were moved to another ward and the room was fumigated. Despite the conditions at the hospital rats had not been a problem in the past and it is believed that this rodent could have came from a nearby mortuary. Child welfare officer Sofia Tulkina said, "We were all scared, the rat was acting so aggressively."

Despite an earlier report that indicates that the Head doctor had requested funds to repair the hospital on several occasions the investigative committee has released a statement saying the incident happened

"as a result of the careless attitude of the hospital's management toward its immediate responsibilities to maintain sanitary and hygienic norms and supervise the children."

A finding of negligence is punishable by three months in jail or a $3300 fine.