Crimean ambulances may not officially come to people aged 70 years or over

The access to medical care is deteriorating in Crimea. The peninsula residents complain about the queues in hospitals, the level of services, lack of medicines, rudeness of staff and bureaucracy.

This is reported by monitors of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG).

Sometimes people have to wait up to 2 weeks to get to the GP in clinics. A queue for regular analyses may also take up to 2 weeks.

The queue at a clinic in Sevastopol, Photo credit: CHRG

According to a resident of Crimean town of Kerch, he applied on 23 April 2016 to the city hospital No. 2 for the coupons for the appointment with the district doctor Ivanova. However, he had his appointment approved only for 5 May 2016. Another resident of Crimea with temperatures above 38 degrees had to wait for the therapist in the queue for more than three hours in the city polyclinic №1 in Kerch

“Call an ambulance to the house is also unreal, they just do not go or the phone is busy! People in the queue would rather finish off the patient than will let him go before you,” a resident of Crimea complains.

According to employees of medical institutions that were interviewed by the monitors of the CHRG, physicians retire from medical institutions due to the introduction of a new remuneration system in Crimea. Now the monthly salary of the doctor in the budget hospital includes a salary and a so-called incentive part of the salary.

The number of inspections in Crimean medical institutions has increased threefold. For this reason, physicians retire and go to work in the private medical centers.

“Doctors have to fill in a lot of documents so the Health insurance (insurance fund) paid the doctor’s work. Even a small mistake in the recording or inaccuracy – and the doctor will not be paid. Doctors are caught even on small bribes, so many specialists who are not ready to live just on their salary and do not want to take risks quit. Other specialists go to work to other regions of Ukraine, most go into private business,” said the source of the CHRG.

Another problem in Crimea is a call ambulance. There were complaints that in case the ambulance is called by people older than 70 years, according to the management order, it takes the call only in emergency cases. In case of high blood pressure and heart pain, the ambulance may not go. The operator records the patient’s data and reports it to the local clinic, and then a paramedic has to come home to such a patient. Because of high volume of such calls, paramedics do not always manage to visit all the patients. If a call was received after 2 p.m., most likely a paramedic will come the next day.

The shortage of medical personnel in Crimea is about 30%. Russian de facto authorities in Crimea recognize an increase in mortality rate among the population of the peninsula.