The Ministry of Health of the Perm Territory will inspect a hospital in Nyrob, where an HIV-positive man was denied treatment

The head of the Ministry of Health of the Perm Territory, Oksana Melekhova, reported on her Instagram page about an inspection at the Nyroba hospital, where an HIV-positive man released from a colony was denied treatment. The prosecutor's office has also begun its own investigation, reports the Perm TV channel Vetta.

The investigation into media reports is carried out by the management of the medical institution together with representatives of the regional Ministry of Health.

Melekhova noted that she could not ignore the situation, since a person’s right to keep his diagnosis secret is guaranteed by the Constitution. The duty to maintain medical confidentiality rests with the patient’s attending physician and other employees of the medical institution, the official emphasized.

The prosecutor's office of the Cherdynsky district of the Perm Territory also began an investigation into the reports. The supervisory authority will determine how the legislation was implemented regarding the provision of medical care and compliance with medical confidentiality.

Anna Kargapoltseva, a member of the Public Monitoring Commission for the Rights of Convicts in the Kama Region and the president of the “Choice” organization, told the telegram channel “Podyom” that the regional AIDS center provided the man with medications by proxy, and he was also made an appointment with an infectious disease specialist.

The general practitioner of the village of Nyrob, Tatyana Aksenova, told Ura.ru that she refused to help the man because he went to the wrong address, and in their village “there are no HIV-infected people.”

"He came up and said, 'I need some medication.' He took out a bottle and began to show what medications he was taking. I say: “We have no HIV-infected people in Nyrob.” I've lived here for a long time and know everyone. <…> I do not have the authority to provide such ( HIV-infected people - TD’s note ) assistance,” said Aksenova.

According to her, she told the man that he should see a paramedic in Cherdyn and gave him the doctor’s number. Aksenova also denies that she publicly disclosed the patient’s diagnosis, as the PSC claims. According to the therapist, the conversation with the man took place in her personal office.

Perm human rights activists were contacted by an HIV-positive man who had recently been released from prison and did not have registration. He said that he is taking therapy to fight HIV, but the medicine will soon run out. Then Anna Kargapoltseva accompanied him to a local clinic to find out how to receive therapy.

“Hearing the question, the therapist shouted, “Move away from the table immediately... We don’t have those. You’re re-infecting everyone here now!” ran to the reception desk. From the reception desk she shouted throughout the entire corridor: “This Kargapoltseva and her husband probably have AIDS herself, since she works with people like that... Here is her medical record, we need to look... And let this one die faster,” Kargapoltseva said.

The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation stated that it will analyze the effectiveness of measures to organize medical care for HIV-positive Russians from 2018. The decision was made after the release of Yuri Dud’s film about the HIV epidemic in the country.