Chief physician and ICU head arrested after 9 newborns die at Russian hospital

Russian authorities have detained the chief doctor and the acting head of intensive care at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 in southwestern Siberia after nine newborn babies died there in early January, "during the long New Year holiday," according to the BBC.

Key Takeaways:

• A hospital in Siberia is under investigation after the deaths of nine newborns in early January, with two of the hospital's top physicians arrested and accused of performing their duties in a "substandard" way; no details have been given.

• It has been claimed that the hospital suffered from a staff shortage over the extended New Year holiday, but the hospital disputes this claim.

• Investigations and autopsies are underway to determine the causes of death.

• Lawmakers and other health officials have reacted with outrage at the deaths and the lack of responsiveness after the first infant death.

The Details:

These deaths have called into question persistent staff shortages and funding issues beleaguering Russia’s healthcare system. Russia has been experiencing an intensifying demographic crisis along with dismal  birth rates, and this shocking case is a sobering reminder that steps must be taken to protect the health and welfare of vulnerable mothers and infants, both before and after birth.

According to CBS News, prosecutors have charged two physicians with negligence and involuntary manslaughter. The outlet notes that the causes of death for the infants are "not yet known" adding that "regional health authorities said the babies were all suffering from a range of diseases and died during childbirth or pregnancy." The outlet continued:

The local health ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that 234 children were born at the hospital between Dec. 1 and Jan. 11, with 17 babies considered to be in a serious condition in the hospital's intensive care unit.

"Of the 17 infants in a critical condition, 16 of them were premature, including those with extremely low birth weight. All 17 had a severe intrauterine infection," the health ministry statement said. "Unfortunately, nine children did not survive."

This number equates to about 7% of the infants born there during that span of time.

The hospital had a history of issues, reportedly receiving no fewer than five warnings from health officials between August and November of 2025.

Based on comments by Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, all the infants were delivered at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 between January 1 and 12, with the first death documented on January 4. The committee noted that the doctors are believed to have "perform[ed] their official and professional medical duties in a substandard way." No details were given.

Both suspects are cooperating with investigators, who are now determining the formal charges and pre-trial measures.

Investigators testified that victims and witnesses had been interviewed, relevant documents had been confiscated, and additional evidence was still being collected. Nine autopsies are also underway.

The hospital has since suspended new patient admissions due to a reported rise in respiratory infections.

According to Reuters, which quoted the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, Russian physician Pavel Vorobyov questioned why officials did not step in sooner. Vorobyov said that after the first death, medical staff should have acted urgently, adding that the silence following the numerous infant fatalities was very disturbing. 

Reuters also noted:

Other Russian media reported the personal accounts of some women who had given birth at the hospital. One woman said her baby's arm was torn off during birth and that the baby had died. Another said a doctor swore at her. Inspections showed a lack of medicine for some ailments.

Citizen Digital reported claims from a Russian tabloid that the hospital had a staff shortage, which the hospital denies. The outlet noted that lawmakers have reacted with outrage to the deaths:

The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament called the incident a tragedy.

"It must never be repeated," Valentina Matvienko said in a statement.

The governor of the Kuzbass region, of which Novokuznetsk is a part, announced Tuesday he had ordered an inspection of all the region's maternity and pre-natal hospitals.

And pro-Kremlin lawmaker Yana Lantratova said on Telegram: "In times of a demographic crisis, allowing several infants to die in one maternity hospital in such a short period is a crime against the country."

The Bottom Line:

The catastrophic deaths of these nine newborns in a country that publicly encourages women to bear more children reveals a painful contradiction: policy goals mean little if mothers and their babies are not actually safe in hospitals that are meant to cater to their well-being and health.

A society that truly values every child must honor that conviction not only by discouraging abortion and banning it altogether, but by ensuring that women who carry to term can deliver their babies in clean, well‑staffed, and accountable hospitals.