RUSSIA: Two Old Men Die After Hospital Closure in St. Petersburg

ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (The St.Petersburg Times), June 9, 2006: A controversial report titled "Old men in the valley of death," in the Russian language Chas Pik Weekly on the shutting down of one the city’s hospitals led officials on Wednesday to address the issue of healthcare for the elderly, which critics have referred to as “horrifying.” The article stated: "On May 24 the Sofia Perovskaya Hospital was emptied. The personnel were fired. Helpless and unprotected patients had been hurriedly moved out and ‘spread’ among the city’s other hospitals… Two elderly people died after the impetuous move." The Old City charity foundation which worked closely with the hospital confirmed the validity of the report at a news conference. “We went to this hospital and recorded horrifying facts. The patients in Hospital No. 28, where some of the patients from Hospital No. 5 were admitted, have not had any treatment or care whatsoever and their relatives were not informed where they would be moved. These old people were just asking for food and medicine," said a spokesman for the foundation. An official of City Hall’s Health Committee admitted certain problems exist, but said the situation is better than that described. Speaking about the quality of hospital meals, on which government currently spends around 40 rubles ($1.50) per person per day, an official said “Of course hospital meals are not restaurant meals and so there will always be complaints. It’s impossible to please everyone when you cook for a thousand people.” Natalia Yevdokimova, chairwoman of the Legislative Assembly’s committee on social issues said Wednesday "The situation with the elderly is getting worse. We are the oldest city in Russia if you take into account the percentage of elderly citizens in St. Petersburg. Moreover, we are getting even older: young people die whereas the elderly manage to hang on into old age. Therefore, the problem of taking care of the elderly is getting more and more urgent." Yevdokimova called for urgent changes and the creation of a new geriatric program for the city. By Evgenia Ivanova © Copyright The St. Petersburg Times 1993-2005