Victims of maternity hospital mix-up seek 400 thousand dollars in compensation amid Soviet-era legal gaps
In 1989, Natalia Stepanova and Galina Moskalkova gave birth in Lesozavodsk and were given babies with identical tags bearing the same surname due to a medical error. Natalia later suspected the boy she was raising was not her son. A DNA test 34 years later confirmed the mix-up, revealing her biological son was another child. The affected families have since sought 30 million rubles in compensation through the courts, but have been denied due to legal loopholes dating back to Soviet times.
Natalia noticed no resemblance between her son and herself or her husband, and one of the victims developed an adaptation disorder that prevents him from leading a normal life. For three years, the families have petitioned the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, and regional authorities for justice.
However, courts argue that current legislation does not provide compensation for medical errors from the Soviet era, complicating the protection of victims’ rights and leaving responsibility ambiguous.
Natalia Stepanova has become a key figure in initiating legal proceedings to acknowledge the error and secure moral damages. This case sheds light on the enduring challenges posed by Soviet legal legacies in modern medical jurisprudence and patient rights protection.
This case may pave the way for legal reforms and compensation mechanisms for serious medical mistakes, which is crucial to safeguarding the rights of affected individuals and their families.
