‘We are treated alongside wounded Russians”: stories of TOT residents of Kherson region
The situation with access to healthcare services in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine is getting worse every day. Residents of these regions, particularly in the Kherson region, face great difficulties in finding medical care. After the occupation by Russia, most Ukrainian doctors left their posts, refusing to work under its control. This has resulted in a shortage of qualified specialists in hospitals, and to fill this shortage, the Kremlin has begun to actively recruit medical staff from remote regions of Russia, who come on a rotational basis.
The situation in the hospitals of Henichesk and Chaplynka is particularly difficult. According to local residents, the hospitals are overcrowded with wounded Russian soldiers who receive priority in medical care. This creates serious problems for civilians who are forced to wait or even refuse inpatient treatment due to unpleasant conditions, and also creates a severe morale problem as Ukrainians are treated together with the enemy.
One of the residents of Kherson region who visited the hospital in Henichesk admitted that she had to hire a car to get to the medical facility because she lives far from the city. The doctor she needed came from a remote region of Russia and works on a rotational basis. When she was offered to stay for inpatient treatment, she refused because of the conditions in the hospital. According to her, all the wards and corridors are crowded with Russian military personnel, and civilian patients are forced to be treated next to them. The woman was so shocked by what she saw that she decided to return home, despite her health condition, and treat herself.
“I recently had to go to the hospital in Henichesk – I hired a car to take me there. I live far from this city, but the doctor I needed was only there. By the way, he came here to work from some distant region of Russia.
I was told that it would be better to be treated in a hospital, but I flatly refused and went home with my sores. I’d rather be treated at home than in those terrible conditions. The fact is that all the wards and corridors were filled to the brim with wounded occupants – it was just a nightmare! I still shudder when I remember what I saw. And ordinary people are offered treatment right there – next to the Russian military. No, I don’t need such help,” the woman says.
For security reasons, the names and places of residence of the women are not disclosed.
The situation in the Chaplynka hospital is no less difficult. Another resident of this region said that the medical institution mainly employs doctors from Russia, who stay for a certain period of time and are then replaced by new specialists. Here is what a resident of the former Chaplynka district told journalists
“Many doctors from Russia work in the Chaplynka district hospital. For example, the doctor who treated me even lives in the hospital. Since I have a passport, I did not face any problems during my inpatient stay in the hospital. Although I have heard stories from people that those who do not have a Russian passport cannot go to the hospital if they need help – they seek help from local residents who have at least some connection to medicine.
It is very difficult to stay in the hospital morally because there are many Russian military patients alongside civilian patients. The situation is tense: it’s hard to see the wounded occupiers next to you, knowing that they are being treated so that they can go back to kill Ukrainians.”
According to the National Resistance Centre, the Kalanchak hospital has already seen more than ten rotations of Russian medics working on a shift basis. Doctors are invited from remote regions of Russia, such as Mordovia, to temporarily support the work of medical facilities in the TOT. However, such doctors are not interested in the health of local residents and come primarily for the high salary promised by the occupiers. This creates a dangerous situation for the civilian population, as such specialists often do not have deep knowledge or desire to treat local residents with high quality.
The National Resistance Centre also notes that Russian citizens are given priority in the provision of emergency medical care, while local residents receive assistance last or are left without it at all. This situation leads to a significant deterioration in the epidemiological situation, an increase in civilian mortality and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
