An anesthesiologist from Lviv, suspected in the death of a five-year-old boy after the extraction of baby teeth, has been drafted into military service. Now her defense is asking for the criminal proceedings to be stopped.
This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutorʼs Office.
The court is currently considering an indictment against the doctor in the death of Veles Pashnyk. In December 2023, the child was taken to the Lviv private clinic Ori-Dent to have two of his baby teeth removed — the dentist suggested performing the procedure under general anesthesia.
The director of the medical facility explained to the boyʼs mother that during the operation the childʼs heart stopped, which, according to him, the doctors managed to restart. The boy was transferred to the intensive care unit, where doctors declared him brain dead. The childʼs vital functions were supported only by drugs. He spent a month in a coma and died on January 13, 2024.
In February 2025, an anesthesiologist was charged under four articles of the Criminal Code after investigators found that she was not qualified to perform anesthesia on children and therefore chose the wrong procedure. In August 2023, this doctor, with a diploma that allows her to provide anesthesia services to adults, received a fake certificate of a specialist in pediatric anesthesiology and a certificate of advanced training for a diploma in pediatric anesthesiology.
Now, the Lviv Regional Prosecutorʼs Office has said it does not agree with the request of the suspectʼs lawyers and has instead filed a request to replace her house arrest with detention. In addition, the prosecutors will oppose the suspension of the case. They have also prepared a request for permission to detain the accused in order to bring her to court to consider the issue of a new preventive measure.
The father of the deceased boy Viktor Pashnyk believes that the suspected doctor Iryna Poda mobilized to avoid criminal liability. The lawyer for Veles Pashnykʼs family Iryna Senyuta noted that the suspect mobilized on April 16, 2025.
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