Justice for Dzena Gadzun: Medical professionals sentenced to 17.5 years in landmark malpractice case

The court found the first defendant, Suad Rozajac, guilty of criminal offenses against human health and negligent medical treatment, sentencing him to 10 years in prison. In addition to the custodial sentence, Rozajac has been banned from practicing medicine for eight years.

The second defendant, Nina Jovanovic, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. She has been issued a six-year ban on performing medical duties and functions. The third defendant, Jasmina Halimic, was convicted of abuse of office and sentenced to three years in prison, with a corresponding three-year professional ban.

A routine procedure turned fatal

Dzena Gadzun passed away on November 14, 2021, three days after undergoing surgery to correct a drooping eyelid at the private "Bejtovic" clinic in Sarajevo. The procedure, performed under general anesthesia, led to severe complications that resulted in the child falling into a coma. She was subsequently transported to the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS), where she ultimately died.

The child's mother, Amila Gadzun, previously described the trauma to N1, noting that the family was led to believe the operation was a 40-minute routine procedure.

"We were told we would be going home with our child after 40 minutes. Instead, the shock of seeing her carried out on a stretcher by an ambulance is a vision that haunts me every night," she stated.

Legal recourse

This verdict is a first-instance judgment. Under the current legal framework, both the prosecution and the defense maintain the right to appeal the decision.