August 22, 2020

Hospitalised children in the time of pandemic: Parents 24/7

topic:	Child rights
located:	Croatia
editor:	Katarina Panić

"Parents 24/7, not 15 minutes only", reads one of the banners a group of people in Zagreb carried protesting against the ban on both the permanent stay with a hospitalised child and regular daily visits.

Back to June, due to worsened COVID-19 situation, some hospitals in Croatia decided to abolish the visits altogether, as well as fathers' presence at the birth.

An outrage among parents activists and children's rights campaigners led to unique government's decision: as of July, the visits to hospitalised children are allowed (sic) 15 minutes per day. It has not calmed the reactions.

"My son suddenly ended up in the hospital undergoing a severe and difficult operation. Now, he's in the room alone. Completely alone. He was scared, miserable, sad, naked. On the way out, he asks me if I am coming tomorrow. 'I'll come, sweetheart, of course, I'll come'. I drive 50 miles every day to the hospital and back. I would drive a 500 if I had to… 15 minutes never lasts shorter", one of the parents described the experience.

Parents in Action: Roda (Stork), an NGO that advocates dignified pregnancy, parenthood and childhood, launched an online petition against these restrictions. Some 60,000 people signed it, requesting the Ministry of Health to urgently compile an epidemiological protocol that will ensure consistent implementation of the European Association for Children in Hospital Convention.

"It smells like fascism. Imagine a child of only a few years is in the hospital all alone. I wonder if those who make such decisions have any empathy. And do they have children of their own?", Roberto Mateš, a father of the seven-year-old boy, told local media.

This month Roberto spent a few days sleeping in a tent in front of hospitals where his son has been treated. Some other parents joined him in raising the voice against children's rights violation. Experts say it took 20 years to Croatia to humanise of treatment of children. Now, during the coronavirus, youngest patients are again widely exposed to the additional trauma and stress being without their moms and dads.

However, some hospitals realised the mistake on their own. This week children's hospital in the coastal town of Rijeka enable parents to stay with their children.

"The benefit of parental support is extremely significant in the treatment process," said oncologist Jelena Roganović from this clinic.

Image by Engin Akyurt 

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