"Novaya Gazeta" reports doctors' protest in Gudermes District

After the information about the re-profiling the wards of the Gudermes District Hospital in Chechnya into the hospital for coronavirus patients, audio and video appeals appeared in social networks posted by the hospital medical staff with complaints about the absence of protective means, which they have to buy for their own money. This is reported in the today's article "Thus Scary Picture" published by the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper.

"Half of the staff is infected; I don't know what to do. They told to evict everybody, who has quitted. [...] Tomorrow, starting from 9 a.m., they'll bring patients one after another. [...] They demand from everyone to come to work. [...] Who doesn't agree is offered to quit," the newspaper gives a translation from the Chechen language of the audio appeal, recorded by a female employee of the hospital.

The newspaper has posted a video footage of the meeting of the staff of the Gudermes District Hospital, which shows several persons in medical clothes and home-made gauze masks on their faces; those present are speaking emotionally in the Chechen language.

"We have nothing! They didn't give out any masks; if they suddenly bring all the infected patients, can you imagine what happens to us? [...] Will there be any masks at least? [...] We'll all quit!" the newspaper gives the translation of women speaking at the meeting.

According to the newspaper, Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, who is also the head of the operative headquarters for combating the coronavirus infection, has left for the Gudermes District to study the situation in the hospital. After Daudov's communication with the hospital medical staff, the chief physician was fired, employees of the hospital told the newspaper.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 15, 2020 at 03:21 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.