It is immoral to save on the health of the defenders of the homeland
The contradictions between the army and society associated with the radical steps of the military reform are aggravated again. According to sources from the military department, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov decided to complete all organizational cuts in military medical institutions and universities not by 2013, as previously planned, but by December 1 of this year. In connection with this, another directive has been sent to the troops.
Before winter begins, the Saratov, Tomsk, Samara military medical institutes, as well as the State Institute for Advanced Training of Doctors of the Ministry of Defense with the corresponding multidisciplinary military hospitals should be completely disbanded. In addition, the system of sanatorium and resort support for the Armed Forces is being transformed: in fact, the treatment of servicemen and retirees is being replaced by cultural recreation and tourism. At the same time, instead of sanatorium selection commissions, the Ministry of Defense is switching to the supply of vouchers according to quotas allocated to the troops, which infringes upon the rights of military pensioners. And there are no less than 6, 3 million of them.
Military medical institutions (VLU) were reduced, but the garrisons remained. That is, there is no one to treat soldiers and officers. The elimination of a military hospital, which is often the only one in a particular region, means that conscripts will have to be treated in civilian medical facilities. That is, now the Ministry of Defense will pay for the treatment of soldiers, however, as you know, money for this does not always come on time. And it’s good if the military department has concluded appropriate agreements with civilian medical institutions. However, according to the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Oleg Kulikov, in the Saratov, Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, in the Primorsky Territory, for example, there are no such agreements.
It should be noted that the shortage of military doctors is already affecting the provision of first aid to soldiers and officers during hostilities and other emergencies associated with unforeseen casualties. This, incidentally, was demonstrated by the terrorist act that recently took place at the training ground of the 136th brigade in Buinaksk (Dagestan).
Another fact is extremely alarming, not only for the army, but also for the entire population of the country. As reported to NG by a source who had served for a long time in the Main Military Medical Directorate (GVMU), as a result of the reduction of VLU, the sanitary and epidemiological service of the army and navy has undergone a significant "cut". According to the source, "in fact, with the current number of sanitary and epidemiological detachments that remained in the troops, the GVMU is today unable to carry out preventive work to prevent the spread of especially dangerous infections among the personnel." This problem can become extremely acute at the very first epidemic or pandemic of infectious diseases. The consequences, according to the source, can be sad, and not only for the army, but for the entire Russian society.
Now in St. Petersburg, with the participation of 160 military and civilian medical epidemiologists from 42 countries, the International Medical Forum is being held. “In the history of the fight against infectious diseases, a very significant role has played and still belongs to the national armed forces of various countries,” Captain Kevin Russell, director of the US Department of Defense's Department of Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Infections, told this forum.
Meanwhile, once it was Russian military medicine that was strong in the fight against especially dangerous infections. Now it turns out that this activity is in oblivion. It is clear that within the framework of giving the army a "new look", the Minister of Defense and his subordinates got carried away with saving money. Another thing is that maybe there are things that are not worth saving on. First of all, on the health of those who defend the country.
