The board of directors of the General Hospital responded to the calls, approving new measures allowing women to appoint one person of choice to accompany them in childbirth.
Activists in the region say women frequently suffer abuse at the hands of medical staff due to patriarchal values and a weak legal system.
Following the harrowing incident social media was flooded with numerous testimonies involving abusive gynaecological procedures and medical staff allegedly assaulting and abusing patients in Serbia.
Activists say women in the region have faced abusive medical treatment for decades, where discussions of such issues are often taboo.
The Kreni-Promeni activist group has collected more than 190,000 signatures calling for reforms which will allow women to bring a friend or family member with them to the birth.
“This is a call to protect all future mothers, so they they can feel safer and that they will bring their babies to the world in a better and less stressful environment,” said Marina Pavlic, executive director of the group.
The petition has now been delivered to the Serbian health ministry.
A survey conducted in Serbia in 2015 found 10 per cent of women didn’t want a second child due to traumatic experiences in hospital during their first birth.
The survey found that more than 60 per cent said they didn’t feel protected during labour and were unaware of what procedures doctors were performing.
Minister of Health Danica Grujičić said: “Obstetric violence is inadmissible. We must give special attention and care to pregnant women and women in labour.
“We will work on additional education of colleagues and protect mothers and pregnant women in every way.”
