A nurse is in hot water for streaming a birth live on TikTok.
The incident took place at the GAK Narodni Front, a maternity hospital in the Serbian capital Belgrade, on Tuesday, 25th April, at around 4:30am.
Roughly 200 people are said to have watched the birth live on TikTok, with many complaining to local media that live streaming it on the platform went too far.
One unnamed netizen reportedly told local media: “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 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.”
Hospital bosses at the GAK Narodni Front have condemned the nurse’s actions and said 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 for mobile phones to be used 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 nurse, who has not been named, said: “I want to explain the live recording that was broadcast from my profile in the period from 4am to 5am on 26th April. The video was created unintentionally.
“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 Tik Tok.
“Before the call to the hall, we watched Tik Tok 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.”
