The first bells about the deplorable state of the military medical service of the Russian Army rang in 2008 during the conflict with Georgia. Injuries of moderate severity among Russian peacekeepers were fatal in 100% of cases, not to mention severe injuries. Several years before these sad events, a progressive decrease in the total number of officers began in the Military Medical Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which was not replenished by graduates from specialized universities. We came to 2008 with a rather low staffing level of the primary military level of the medical service, as well as a serious failure in the middle personnel level. Up to 30% of positions up to and including the captain were understaffed, which became the reason for further staff shortages for managerial positions. Actually, we are now reaping the consequences of the "reforms" of that time. Earlier, in 2006, there was a shortage of many narrow specialists, such as a surgeon, therapist and anesthesiologist. I think there is no need to separately point out the importance of doctors of this profile in the army. And young specialists did not make up for the losses - in 2004, 170 early resigned, and in 2005 - 219 young officers of the military medical service (22% and 29% of graduation, respectively). Serdyukov generally had a certain weakness for military medicine and almost in the first days of his work began to "reform" it. The total number of doctors decreased from 13 to 2, 5 thousand, and in 2009 18 hospitals out of 175 operating were closed. Later, another 30 separate medical units, from the infirmary to the polyclinic, were liquidated.
Anatoly Serdyukov, chairman of the board of directors of the Rostvertol aircraft building company (Russian Helicopters holding), industrial director of the Rostec aviation complex. The main ideologist of "reforms" in the Ministry of Defense
After Serdyukov, there were no hospitals and military clinics left in 47 constituent entities of Russia, and more than 47 thousand servicemen served in these regions. It seems that they have completely forgotten about 350 thousand military pensioners living in the same territories. Optimization continued in the vastness of higher medical education - in 2010, the Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Tomsk and Samara military medical institutes were liquidated.
The emblem of the Samara Military Medical Institute. Closed in 2010
Buildings of the Tomsk Military Medical Institute, which has not existed since 2010
Patch of the Saratov Military Medical Institute. Liquidated together with similar universities in Tomsk and Samara
And they trained about 700 doctors a year. Basic specialties in medical universities - military toxicology, military radiology, military field surgery and therapy, as well as the organization and tactics of the medical service - went into expenditure. The country closed about 50 departments and faculties of universities involved in the training of specialists in the medical reserve service. An absurd situation developed at the Kirov Military Medical Academy, when the phrase "military field surgery" had to be removed from the name of the department. Now it is the Department of Emergency Surgery and Oncology. Moreover, doctors and candidates of sciences were presented with a fact - since there is no specialty "military field surgery", there will be no department. The most interesting thing is that with the coming to power of Sergei Shoigu, the situation did not change dramatically, and it could not improve overnight. Still, expelling several thousand military doctors to "civilian life" is not about reducing painters and plasterers. Many of those who left were not just experienced professionals - they passed several “hot spots” and were bearers of unique experiences. Sharing that will have to be no longer in the army …
There is a strong impression that modern Russia will not be ready for a large-scale conflict - the country's medicine will not pull either the civilian population or the military.
During the transfer of civil defense forces to the National Guard, the reformers reduced the freelance emergency response units. Their duties, among other things, included protecting the population from the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction. It is understood that this function will now be performed by the system of disaster medicine in the structure of the Ministry of Emergencies. Surprisingly, the material and technical base of the territorial subdivisions of disaster medicine is limited only to vehicles, and this makes it possible to evacuate the affected population. But now imagine that the masses of wounded and victims of weapons of mass destruction will rush into civilian hospitals and clinics - it is they who now have to do this in case of war. I think the collapse is inevitable. Not only is the personnel not particularly competent in such matters, but there is still no simple technical support: the medical warehouses of the civil defense forces have been destroyed.
Obviously, many simply forget that one cannot put a sign of identity between a civilian and a military medic. Never a surgeon from the best "peaceful" clinic will provide qualified medical care for a severe gunshot wound, not to mention a mine-explosive injury with aggravation in the form of chemical or radiation damage. The civilian doctor was only briefly explained at the university, and the military doctor with such cases has to work in the system.
Syrian Arab Republic. Aleppo. Field hospital of the Russian Army …
In December 2016, a tragic and egregious incident occurred: a Russian military field hospital in Aleppo came under mortar fire. Two nurses from the Novosibirsk MOSN were killed, a pediatrician was seriously injured. Is the fact that the hospital was deployed in the zone of potential enemy fire impact and did not deploy sufficient security, is it a consequence of the unprofessionalism of the unit's leadership? And is incompetence a consequence of the reform activity 10-12 years ago? These and other issues are currently becoming especially acute for Russia - the situation in the world is not getting calmer. The very existence of a sufficient mobilization reserve of the Military Medical Service of the Russian Army can be called into question. And steps to rectify the current situation are needed in the very near future.
