On January 19, 2026, a court suspended for 90 days the work of Novokuznetsk City Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after G. P. Kurbatov, where nine newborns died during the New Year holidays and eight more infants were transferred to intensive care in extremely serious condition. Inspection materials say sanitary and patient safety requirements were violated.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, fungal contamination was found on the walls of the operating unit, postnatal ward, and treatment room. On January 12, the Health Ministry announced the temporary closure of the maternity hospital, and the next day a criminal case was opened under articles covering negligent homicide and negligence. Charges were brought against chief physician Vitaly Kheraskov and acting head of intensive care Aleksey Emikh.
According to Kheraskov's lawyer Igor Mikhailovich, investigators accuse the chief doctor of poor management, failing to maintain ceiling coating suitable for disinfection, and failing to provide furniture resistant to cleaning agents. Kheraskov was placed under house arrest, while Emikh was banned from certain activities.
Kuzbass governor Ilya Seredyuk, after the article was published, said that in his view the tragedy might also have involved the actions of the mothers themselves: he claimed that some women had not been monitored during pregnancy and that some allegedly arrived for delivery while intoxicated. At the same time, he urged people to wait for expert findings and promised to expand the maternity hospital. The recording of the broadcast and related posts were later deleted.
Women interviewed by the outlet and regional specialists said maternity hospital No. 1 was the key level-three obstetric facility in southern Kuzbass, receiving high-risk pregnancies and premature babies from as early as the 22nd week of pregnancy. After its closure, deliveries were temporarily redirected to maternity hospital No. 2.
Former patients described harsh conditions and rude treatment. One woman said that although she was already in advanced labor, she was kept in admissions to complete paperwork. Another said a doctor approached only rarely during labor and used strong pressure on her abdomen. At the same time, some interviewees said they experienced poor conditions more often than constant abuse by staff.
The main diagnoses among the dead infants were prematurity and related complications, including neonatal infections, pneumo- and hemothorax, kidney failure, and intraventricular hemorrhage. Medical specialists interviewed by the outlet stressed that such conditions may be linked both to extreme immaturity and to infection, birth trauma, or mistakes during procedures, while survival chances depend directly on the quality and speed of medical care.