People on hunger strike from TB hospital will be fed by force?
- 15.01.2008, 9:26
About 150 patients of the Republican Tuberculosis Hospital “Navaelnya” (the Dzyatlava district, the Grodna Area) didn’t come to breakfast yesterday. They demand improving of treatment conditions. Chief doctor Mechyslau Dougan regards these demands as groundless.
Patient of the hospital Syargei Voranau applied to “Nasha Niva”. According to him, about 150 patients didn’t come to breakfast. They are unsatisfied with living conditions in the hospital.
“The wards are moist and cold – about 14-15°C above zero, it’s very dirty there – the walls on the ground floor are black, food is awful,” Mr. Voranau told.
According to him, patients can take shower only two times a week, hot water is available only before meals – three times a day. Moreover, the territory was enclosed with a three-meter-high fence:
“We are not allowed to visit a village, to go for walk, but, by the way, we have agreed voluntary to live here.”
The sick persons signed the claim and passed it to chief doctor Mechyslau Dougan.
Mr. Dougan confirmed the information about the hunger strike:
“Yes, a part of patients has refused to eat breakfast today.”
The doctor said patients were forbidden to leave the territory of hospital according to internal rules.
“It is connected with claims of the local population. They have gathered about 500 votes and continue to gather,” Mr. Dougan explained.
According to him, the hospital executes an order of the Ministry of Health, and every patient was informed about that restriction and signed the corresponding document.
“Their other claims are groundless, the only reason for them is that they are forbidden to leave the territory of hospital,” Mechyslau said.
According to him, temperature in wards is 18-20°C, food is normal, there are telephones, providing domestic long distance connection, and a commercial stall on the territory. The hospital is situated in the pine forest.
“But some people want to buy cigarettes, bear and wine in the town,” the chief doctor said.
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As Syargei Voranau said yesterday night, the patients had found themselves in difficult situation: they can’t have a long hunger strike, because in this case it’s very harmful for them to take medicines. But refusal to take medicines is violation of treating process. It can cause the transfer to a hospital of closed type, where TB sick people will have compulsory treatment. “They are already scaring us with this transfer,” he says.
According to the participants of the hunger strike, the claims, written in the letter to the administration of the Republican Tuberculosis Hospital, were supported by personnel of the hospital, in first turn by nurses. The people, having signed the letter, hope their action will receive full coverage in media. Otherwise the problems will be smothered up, and dissidents will be transferred to other hospitals, they think.