28 April 2023 , 15:01
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A nurse has come under fire for "accidentally" live-streaming live on TikTok while a woman gave birth to her child.
The incident happened at maternity hospital GAK Narodni Front in Belgrade, Serbia, at around 4.30am on Tuesday.
According to reports, around 200 people saw the live stream, with many complaining to local media saying that the patient's privacy had been violated.
A person said: "Is it possible that as a society, we no longer have a sense of what is right and what is wrong? Is it possible that someone thinks that something as intimate as childbirth should be live-streamed?
The nurse has been suspended, hospital officials said (Newsflash)
She was widely criticised online for the live stream (Newsflash)"The TikTok account, as well as all the doctors at the birth who knew that it was being broadcast live, deserve to bear criminal, and certainly civil, responsibility. The patient's privacy has been violated, and even more importantly, her honour."
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Hospital bosses at the GAK Narodni Front have condemned the nurse's actions, saying that she was immediately suspended and faces disciplinary proceedings.
A spokesperson for the hospital is quoted in local media saying: "We would like to thank everyone who pointed out this kind of incident to us in a timely manner, so that we could react promptly and take all the necessary measures so that something like this never happens again."
They stated that it is forbidden to use mobile phones in the maternity ward and in operating rooms.
It is currently unclear if the mother who was filmed giving birth in the TikTok broadcast had given her consent to it being live-streamed on the Internet, but the nurse has since come forward and claimed she did not know her phone was live-streaming.
The unnamed nurse apologised to the baby's mum (Newsflash)The nurse, who has not been named, said the video "was created unintentionally", adding: "During the night shift, we all know that the use of mobile phones is prohibited in the hall, but when we were called for an emergency caesarean, I just left the phone against the glove rack, unaware that the camera was turned on that was broadcasting live on TikTok.
"Before the call to the hall, we watched TikTok and that was the last thing left on. It can be seen from the video that no one in the hall was aware that the phone was broadcasting live."
She added: "The video was created spontaneously. Apart from the patient, I also see myself preparing for surgery and participating in it. I apologise to the patient whose privacy was violated, to the patient's family and to the general public.
"I have been a nurse for 14 years and all my working life I have built the relationship between the patient and the nurse based on the principles of nursing ethics and according to the good rules of the profession.
"I am most sincerely sorry that the live broadcast was created, because my activities on Tik Tok were focused mainly on my family, friends and on educational content that did not contain personal data in any of the videos or was in violation of medical ethics.
"Once again, I repeat that I am deeply sorry and sincerely apologise to the patient, her family, to the clinic where I work, to all my colleagues, and to the public."
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