Patriarch’s death sparks heated debate

The Patriarch’s personal doctor claimed the prostate surgery was not necessary, while the surgeon who performed the intervention claims it was absolutely required given the pains that the 92-year old patient was going through.
Friday, on the very day when Patriarch Teoctist was buried, Prof. Nicolae Ursea, whose patient the Patriarch had been for 21 years, told “Ziua” daily that the Romanian Orthodox Church leader died because of an unnecessary procedure at the Fundeni Clinic Institute. Prof. Nicolae Ursea, a primary doctor of internal medicine and primary doctor of nephrology, stated that personally he would not have recommended surgical intervention, considering that the Patriarch had long suffered from a kidney infection. The patriarch’s personal physician also stated that on that hapless Monday he talked with Prof. Ionel Sinescu on the telephone, and the latter assured him that the Patriarch was fine and had not undergone surgery, although at that time he was in intensive care after the surgery.