Health condition of Nalchik woman worsens due to clinic's refusal to provide medication

A court in Nalchik has obliged the clinic to prescribe the necessary medication to a patient with epilepsy, but doctors refused to do so, and the girl's health condition has worsened, her mother has informed. The trial against the clinic lasted for six months, while the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) failed to help in solving the problem, the head of the "Patient's Monitor" has emphasized.

The above KBR woman, who suffers from epilepsy, went to court demanding from the republic's MPH to provide her with the prescribed medications. In its turn, the respondent demanded that the girl appear in person in court, despite her condition, Suleiman Suleimanov, an activist with the human rights organization "Patient's Monitor", wrote in social networks. Commentators were outraged by doctors' cruel attitude towards the patient.

According to her mother, the patient named Yulia K., has been suffering from epilepsy since she was six years old. She is prescribed an anticonvulsant drug, which must be purchased abroad.

"On the second day after the court's ruling, Yulia went to the clinic doctor to get a prescription. However, doctors refused to prescribe the drug, offering only a prescription for an analogue ... As a result, her health condition worsened, and on the second morning she had an attack," said her mother, adding that Yulia has not yet received the required drug.

Ibragim Sultygov, the head of the "Patient's Monitor", said that the struggle to ensure that Yulia is provided with the necessary medicine has been going on for almost a year.

"Yulia's condition has worsened. She buys medicine for her own money. Since the drug is expensive; and the patient herself doesn't work, it is not always possible to buy it. When there is no medicine, attacks become more frequent; she faints more often, causing injury to herself. The disease is very serious," Mr Sultygov has emphasized.

The patients who have indications for the use of drugs that are not registered in Russia must demand from clinics to submit applications to the Russian MPH in order to buy the necessary drugs abroad. This possibility is provided for by the law, Ibragim Sultygov has added.