The head of the Rostov Ministry of Health resigned after reports of deaths of patients with COVID‑19 due to interruptions in oxygen supply

The governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, dismissed the regional health minister Tatyana Bykovskaya at his own request. This was reported by the press service of the regional administration.

On October 21, the publication 161.ru , citing doctors at City Hospital No. 20 , wrote that several patients with coronavirus died in the institution due to problems with the oxygen supply. The head of the regional coronavirus headquarters called it a fake, and Rostov authorities began checking the information.

Bykovskaya resigned due to retirement, the report notes. After the publication of the 161.ru material , she refused to comment, saying that she had gone on vacation until “the 6th [of November].”

Bykovskaya, who held the post for 16 years, is accused in the case of a contract for the disposal of medical waste. In November 2019, she was detained by FSB officers, after which she was placed under house arrest. In January, the preventive measure was lifted . Governor Golubev then refused to dismiss her, since “only a court can prove guilt.”

Rostov-on-Don city manager Alexey Logvinenko also fired the head of the city health department, Nadezhda Levitskaya, on her “first working day after vacation,” the city administration told on October 27 1rnd.ru .

Yesterday, a commission from the city administration, which included Levitskaya, said that “there were no interruptions in the supply of oxygen [at city hospital No. 20]”, and “whether there were any leaks” would be “checked by the investigative authorities.” Levitskaya also participated in the press conference. The Investigative Committee did not report the results of its inspection at the hospital.