Health Ministry on Maternity Hospital Inspections Post-Tragedy
Following the tragedy at a Novokuznetsk maternity hospital, where nine infants died during the New Year holidays, the editorial board of 26.ru sent an official request to the Ministry of Health of Stavropol Krai.
We asked the department if additional inspections, internal audits, or other control measures are planned in the region«s maternity institutions in connection with the incident — and if not, why, in the ministry»s opinion, the current control system is considered sufficient.
In its official response, the Ministry of Health listed measures that have already been taken. According to the response to the editorial board«s inquiry, on 13 January 2026, ministry staff visited:
the Stavropol Krai Perinatal Center,
the Stavropol Krai Perinatal Center No. 1.
The purpose of the visits was described as “providing organizational and methodological assistance”. Visits to maternity hospitals in other cities of the krai — Pyatigorsk, Nevinnomyssk, Kislovodsk, and others — were not mentioned in the ministry«s response.
Also, as follows from the document, in Stavropol Krai, on-site organizational and methodological events were held with the participation of federal medical organizations, including: the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov (RMRMU), the National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after V.I. Kulakov, and the National Medical Research Center for Children«s Health.
However, the response emphasizes that it was precisely about organizational and methodological work, and not about control and supervisory measures.
Answering the question on measures to reduce infant mortality, the Ministry of Health reported that in the region, updating the regional routing for the profiles “obstetrics and gynecology” and “neonatology” is planned.
Recall, in early January, at maternity hospital No. 1 in Novokuznetsk, over several days, nine infants died. The head doctor of the maternity hospital and his deputy are under arrest. A special commission of experts is investigating the causes of the tragedy.
