德国之声的调查报道揭示，塞尔维亚产妇在分娩过程中面临系统性的不人道待遇和不必要的医疗干预。[1] 该调查采访了20多名产妇，记录了常规使用催产素、侧切手术、克里斯特勒手法等医疗程序，以及未经同意的医疗操作和言语虐待现象。[1] 世界卫生组织建议这些程序仅在有明确医学指征或产妇要求时进行，但在塞尔维亚却被作为常规操作广泛实施。[1]
医疗数据反映出问题的严重程度。[1] 塞尔维亚某些医疗机构的侧切率超过70%，而世界卫生组织不建议对自然阴道分娩常规使用侧切。[1] 塞尔维亚三分之一的分娩发生在贝尔格莱德和诺维萨德的四家主要产科医院。[1]
根据2022年《塞尔维亚妇科和产科机构中对妇女的待遇报告》，言语虐待是最常见的虐待形式。[1] 专家将问题归因于医疗系统过载、过时医疗观念和性别刻板印象。[1] 虽然塞尔维亚卫生部已发布新的《生理性阴道分娩良好临床实践国家指南》，但贝尔格莱德人权中心指出，尚未有一例医源性暴力案件在塞尔维亚法院达成最终判决。[1]
An investigation by Deutsche Welle has revealed widespread inhumane treatment of pregnant women during labor in Serbia, characterized by unnecessary medical interventions and verbal abuse.[1] The inquiry, which included interviews with more than twenty Serbian mothers, documented systemic problems including routine use of oxytocin, episiotomy procedures, and Kristeller maneuver—all performed without explicit medical justification or patient consent.[1]
The scale of unnecessary interventions is stark. Some Serbian medical facilities report episiotomy rates exceeding seventy percent, despite World Health Organization recommendations against routine use of the procedure in natural vaginal deliveries.[1] According to the WHO, procedures such as oxytocin administration, episiotomy, and the Kristeller maneuver should only be performed when there is clear medical indication or at the patient's request.[1] A 2022 report on the treatment of women in Serbian obstetric and gynecological institutions identified verbal abuse as the most common form of mistreatment.[1]
The problem is concentrated in major urban centers: approximately one-third of all births in Serbia occur in four principal obstetric hospitals located in Belgrade and Novi Sad.[1] Experts attribute the systemic issues to an overburdened healthcare system, outdated medical practices, and gender stereotypes.[1] While Serbia's Ministry of Health has issued new national guidelines for good clinical practice in physiological vaginal delivery, enforcement mechanisms remain absent.[1] The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights has noted that no case of iatrogenic violence has reached final judgment in Serbian courts to date.[1]