Faced with coronavirus, the “memory list” of Russian doctors

Text by: Daniel Vallot

In Russia, a group of doctors has decided to pay tribute to the healthcare professionals who are on the front line facing the disease. By listing all those, doctors, nurses or caregivers, who have died since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Moscow,

The black list of Russian doctors continues to grow. There were more than 70 on April 29, there are already more than a hundred who have lost their lives since the start of the epidemic in Russia . There is nothing official about the count: it is held by a group of doctors, who have decided to make up for the lack of official statistics in the health sector.

This “memory list” should make it possible to pay tribute to the doctors, nurses and nursing staff who have been victims of the disease, but also to point out the lack of protective equipment, masks, overalls. And the risk that this entails in terms of the spread of the virus. Several hospitals in Russia have also become hotbeds of infection and have had to be quarantined.

These Russian doctors who face equipment shortages are also subject to strong pressure from their hierarchy. The Russian press has also reported on several cases of suicide or suicide attempts in the medical profession since the start of the epidemic.

Risk of legal action

In less than two weeks, three doctors in disagreement with their hierarchy were thus defenestrated, and two of them died. One of these doctors had refused to transform his unit to receive coronavirus patients there, alleging lack of equipment. Another was accused of infecting several of his colleagues. The third had publicly complained that he was forced to continue his work when he himself was a carrier of the virus.

Another factor that may increase the strain on Russian doctors is the risk of legal action. Indeed, a law from the beginning of the epidemic allows to punish anyone accused of spreading false news about the disease. And doctors who testify with their faces uncovered about their difficulties in combating the disease, or who question the reality of official statistics, can be prosecuted and fall under the scope of this law.

This Tuesday, May 5, the newspaper Novaïa Gazeta also launched an appeal to Russian doctors, to encourage them to testify anonymously on shortages and dysfunctions. "  We understand your fear of being fired, facing sanctions or being prosecuted,  " the newspaper wrote, stressing the importance of reporting on the reality of the situation in Russian hospitals.

► Read also: Coronavirus: the Russian healthcare system strangled by the pandemic

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