WOMAN IN COMA FOR 22 MONTHS AFTER GIVING BIRTH: HUSBAND FIGHTS FOR HER RIGHTS

03.18.2015 18:06 epress.am

On May 19, 2013, Shirakamut village, Lori Province, resident Lilit
Nalbandyan fell into a coma after giving birth at the Vanadzor
Medical Center and her situation has not changed to date. Criminal
investigation in connection with the case has been underway for nearly
20 months; Nalbandyan’s husband and lawyer claim that the woman fell
into a coma as a result of not receiving proper medical care from
hospital staff and demand those guilty be held responsible.

Lilit Nalbandyan’s representative, lawyer Arayik Papikyan told
Epress.am that in December 2014, the investigative body (investigator
H. Hovsepyan) decided to terminate the criminal investigation of the
case. The decision was appealed to the Lori Province Prosecutor’s
Office, where prosecutor V. Dolmazyan rejected the lawyer’s motion.

Nevertheless, the decision was appealed to the Lori Province Court
of First Instance, where on March 17, 2015, the presiding Judge
Suren Baghdasaryan also rejected the lawyer’s suit. Currently, the
plaintiff’s side is preparing to appeal to the Court of Appeals.

According to Papikyan, the rejection of the motions and appeals is
not surprising; its a defective work style and a sad tradition. The
lawyer stressed that the forensic examination has proved that Lilit
did not receive proper medical care, but, nevertheless, the criminal
investigation was still terminated.

“Neither the prosecutor, nor the court noticed that the main
parttakers, the medical staff, gave different and contradictory
testimonies during the preliminary investigation, while some of them
“privileged” or “immune” and were not questioned at all. For example,
when the court asked the investigator why the Erebuni Medical Center’s
Head Health Practitioner was not questioned, the investigator answered
that he went to question him, but the practitioner was not there that
day. This answer was sufficient for the court, despite the fact the
preliminary investigation did not last one day but about 570 days,”
said Arayik Papikyan.

The lawyer noted that a civil suit demanding financial compensation
for Lilit Nalbandyan’s case is still in process and currently at the
Court of Cassation. Nalbandyan’s side had won in the first two courts.

Epress.am was told by Nalbandyan’s husband Artak Barseghyan (pictured)
that his rights are being limited by different officials “mixing in”
in the case.

“It feels like everyone has one objective, to hurt Lilit, me and our
child. I’ve been recognized as Lilit’s caretaker. When the civil suit
began, the Lori Governor, the doctor’s lawyer, a few workers from
the Governor’s office forced the Shirakamut village mayor to overturn
the decision and he did out of fear. Then I was recognized guardian
again and once again the Lori Governor forced the village mayor to
overturn the decision, because if a guardian doesn’t exist then no
one would be able to defend Lilit’s rights in court, and my wife is
in a coma, so naturally she can’t go to court. Now I’m fighting again
to be recognized as guardian. The governor’s office tells me that
they can’t let me receive compensation from the hospital. I also
know that the Ministry of Health is putting pressure. For a long
time, I didn’t want to speak to the media with the hope that the
investigator, prosecutor, the court, hospital, governor’s office or
another parttaker would take that fact into consideration and show the
appropriate attitude. But now I feel that they are either interested
in the money or their position,” said Barseghyan.