Questions posed by Rennie Stoyanova Concerning the Risk of Infection with Hepatitis Virus in St. Marina Hospital Hemodialysis Unit, Varna, Bulgaria

Bulgarian (Cyrillic)

Bulgarian (Latin)

To the Chronicle... (BG)

Date	Short Name of Document	Explanation
22-May-2003	Alert to Health Authorities	I send an alerting letter to the leadership of St. Marina Hospital, Regional Health Center, Ministry of Health, Commission of Health at the Parliament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and bTV. The subject is: Risk of infecting foreign citizens with hepatitis in the Hemodialysis Unit where I work.
26-May-2003 morning	"Submit Written Explanations..."	I have a conversation with Dr. Kr. Ivanov, the hospital executive director. I tell him that the foreign citizens are not recorded in the two registers of the unit and ask him to come with me and see for himself. Instead, he requires of me written explanations under art. 193, para. 1 from the Labor Code (before imposing a disciplinary punishment) without explaining me what my fault is.
26-May-2003 afternoon	Alert to Police	I submit an alerting letter to the 2nd Police Station of Varna about that the foreign patients are not documented in the unit where I work. I write I have informed the executive director the same day.
27-May-2003	Written Explanations	Written explanations as required by the executive director in which I point out that the questions I bring forward concern medical, financial and, above all, moral issues
27-29-May-2003	End-of-May Inspections: First Inspection Second Inspection	Two inspections are performed: one by the hospital, and the other by the Regional Health Center. I did not see them but I have their results (sent to me in a letter from the MH of 12-Jun-2003)
29-May-2003	Oral Notification of Dismissal	The foreign citizens' data still are not recorded in the two registers. My direct boss, head of unit Dr Kiril Nenov, Ass. Prof., tells me that I am fired and insists that I go home immediately. Immediately I submit a hand-written request to Dr. Kr. Ivanov's secretary to be informed in writing whether I am dismissed. THIS REQUEST HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED UP TO THIS DAY
30-May-2003	Request for a Paid Leave	I submit a well-grounded request for a paid annual leave because of "distressing atmosphere in my working place after I have alerted the authorities". I am allowed a paid leave during the whole month of June.
2-Jun-2003	A 30-day Notice to my Employer	On my lawyer's advice, I submit a 30-day notice to my employer that I leave my working place.
Beginning of June	A letter from the Parliament Commission of Health	I receive a letter from the Parliament Commission of Health that they have forwarded my alerting letter to the MH
6-Jun-2003	See top right link (in Bulgarian only)	I start writing Chronicle of a Leave Foretold: A Hemodialysis Novel
11-Jun-2003	A reply from 2nd Police Station	I receive a reply from the 2nd Police Station that their check has not found out any disorder
12-Jun-2003	A reply from MH Contract for 16 Belgians	I receive a reply from the MH that the HD unit in question observes the epidemiologic standards and is one of the leading health units in Bulgaria which can successfully partake in the international exchange of patients. There are certain long-known problems, indeed, but I only lower the good name of St. Marina Hospital. To this are enclosed the reports of the two health checks made by the end of May as well as a contract for dialyzing of 16 Belgian citizens
17-Jun-2003	A reply from RHC	I receive a reply from the Regional Health Center that any possible measures have been taken against infecting both the Bulgarian and the foreign citizens.
9-Jul-2003	My Letter with 116 Questions	I send a long letter with 116 questions to the Parliament Commission of Health, the President and the Premier. Thus I attempt to disprove the results of the two checks of the local health authorities. To this letter I enclose 11 documents for reference.
9-Jul-2003	My Letter to MIA	I send a short letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Premier about unsatisfactory reply from the 2nd Police Station
14-Jul-2003	Letter from PCH	I receive a letter from the Parliament Commission of Health that my second letter to them has been forwarded to the MH.
18-Jul-2003	1st Letter from the President	I receive a letter from the President's Office.
26-Jul-2003	Subpoena My Complaint to MIA	I have handed a subpoena to appear at the Regional Direction of Police in Varna without explaining me what for. I send a complaint to the RDP-Varna and MIA about a subpoena without explanations. This complaint has not been answered up to this day.
28-Jul-2003	No document available	I appear before the Regional Police of Varna. My lawyer is with me. They only want me to confirm I maintain my letter of 9-Jul-2003.
31-Jul-2003	A letter from MFA	I receive a letter form the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they have forwarded my alerting letter of 22-May-2003 to the MH.
8-Aug-2003	See top right link (in Bulgarian only)	My book, Chronicle of a Leave Foretold: A Hemodialysis Novel, is released from print
22-Aug-2003	2nd Letter from President	I receive a second letter form the President's Office in answer to an email I have sent them to remind I still do not have a reply for the MH.
27-Aug-2003	To the Premier	I send a letter to the Premier about my not having a reply: neither from MIA nor from MH.
29-Aug-2003	Reminding MH	I send a letter to MH to remind them that I have had no reply to my letter of 9-Jul-2003. One of my former patients signs it, too.
29-Aug-2003	Reminding MIA	I send a letter to MIA to remind them that I have had no reply to my letter of 9-Jul-2003
2-Sep-2003	A Reply from MH A Reply from RHC	I receive a letter from MH which is a copy of their previous letter (see 12-Jun-2002). Not a single question of mine (see 9-Jul-2003, to MH) has been answered.
15-Sep-2003	My Reply to MH	I send a letter to MH, subject: inadequate reply.
16-Sep-2003	From RPD	I receive a reply from the Regional Police Department that there are no disorders. This letter is the first official confirmation I have of that 12 Israeli citizens were dialyzed in St. Marina on 27-May-2003.
18-Sep-2003	An Article in a Local Newspaper A Comment of an Israeli	An ill-intended article is published in the local newspaper Cherno More (Black Sea) complete with personal assaults against me by my former boss. On the electronic edition of the paper appears an anonymous commentary by an Israeli who encourages me!
18-Sep-2003	A Letter from MH of 16-Sep-2003	I receive an angry letter from MH saying that they have answered to my questions many times.
19-Sep-2003	My Letter to MH	I send a very short letter to MH.
19-Sep-2003	My Letter to MIA	I send a short letter to MIA about unsatisfactory reply from the RD of MIA
19-Sep-2003	Right of Response	I send a short text to the local Cherno More editor's office to disprove the written in their article. They REFUSED TO PUBLISH MY REBUTTAL!
26-Sep-2003	Article in Pozvanete & Novini Newspaper	"The publication of this interview has its prehistory. Reneta Stoyanova, a former medical nurse in the hemodialysis unit of St. Marina Hospital - Varna, came to the editor's office. She posed some questions of importance to health care."
13-Nov-2003...	Article in Pozvanete & Novini Newspaper	The journalists of newspaper Pozvanete Novini could not get any response from the leadership of St. Marina Hospital on the questions raised by former HD nurse Reneta Stoyanova in her interview for our paper. Our team, led by the idea of full publicity, went on with their investigation by addressing the authorized body, which made a check on Stoyanova's alerting letter. Meanwhile a patient from this HD unit called in our office. His name is kept secret.
14-Nov-2003	My lawyer sends short letters to MIA and MH	My lawyer sends short letters to MIA and MH to remind them that I still have not received answers to the questions I posed. Their texts are not preserved.
19-Nov-2003	Response to the Above Article in the Pozvanete & Novini Newspaper	They, too, as Cherno More Newspaper had done before, REFUSED TO PUBLISH IT!!! "Full publicity", isn't it?
4-Dec-2003	Letter From ROIA - Varna	They flatly refused to answer my questions. "As long as you are not a state body, there are no legal grounds to assist you about the information you requested."
12-Dec-2003	Letter to MIA	"Mr. Minister, if timely and adequate reacting to alerts sent by citizens is not included in the duties of the authorities under your supervision, please let me know to which other state authority I should turn."
12-Dec-2003	Letter to Dr Balkanski, Varna RHC Director	"You say, "We cannot be sure about any single patient even if he has been tested... If certain patient gets infected with something, there is incubation period during which we cannot catch the virus." For the same reasons, we cannot be sure about the blood for transfusion, either."
24-Mar-2004	Letter to Mr Premier of Bulgaria	I send a letter to the Premiere in which I suggest a few ideas of public interest.
02-Aug-2004	Letter to Mr Minister of Health	I send a reminding letter to the Ministry of Health
03-Sep-2004	Letter from Mr Deputy Minister of Health	I received an answer from the Ministry of Health signed in person by the Deputy Minister Dr. Petko Salchev himself
16-Dec-2004	Letter from the Council of Ministers	I received a letter from the Premier's Reception Office, 9 months after I sent them a letter.
28-Mar-2005	Letter to MH and PCH	I send a letter to Minister of Health with a copy to Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission of Health
29-Mar-2005	Letter from the Commission on Health	My letter is transferred from Commission on Health to Ministry of Health.
27-May-2005	Letter from MH	I receive another evasive reply form Ministry of Health.
6-Feb-2006	Letter to NCHI	I send NCHI an Application for Access to Information about the percentage of hepatitis B or C virus carriers among hemodialysis patients in this country and in St. Marina Hospital in Varna.
21-Feb-2006	Letter from NCHI	I receive a reply reading that NCHI does not keep any records about the percentage of hepatitis B or C virus carriers among hemodialysis patients in this country or in any particular region or hospital.
And so on...	And so on...	And so on...