Morphine pumps have become scarce. A resident of the Rostov region was denied a replacement morphine pump despite receiving a quota for one.
Alexander Zubov, a resident of the village of Peschanokopskoye in the Rostov region and a disabled person of the second group, suffers from severe pain.
As Zubov told NeMoskva, he underwent spinal surgery in 2019. The operation was performed by Eduard Rostorguev, a physician at the National Medical Research Center of Oncology and now head of the neuro-oncology department. According to Zubov, the surgery lasted 11 hours instead of 2-3. After the surgery, Zubov was placed on a morphine pump. Morphine pumps are used to relieve pain.
On November 20, 2023, the pump's lifespan expired and it needed to be either replaced or removed. Zubov received a new pump under the quota, which doctors were supposed to install but didn't, citing an inflammatory process. Just a few days later, the inflammation—which Zubov claims was nonexistent—resolved. A local surgeon confirmed this. However, the pump had since been transferred to another patient.
A morphine pump is a high-tech and very expensive piece of medical equipment. It's also in short supply, as it's manufactured in countries in the "hostile camp," which are now unable to supply their products to Russia due to sanctions.
Alexander Zubov turned to the human rights NGO "Be Heard" for support. Its chairman, Pavel Sagayda, filed a complaint with the Investigative Committee back in November, four complaints with the Prosecutor's Office, and attended two personal meetings there. He has yet to receive an official response from anyone.
But in telegram channel The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) reported that Alexander Bastrykin had taken personal control of the case.
Zubov can receive treatment from specialists at the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology in Moscow. However, Rostov doctors must provide a referral and supporting documents to do so. Vladimir Shin, head of the regional Ministry of Health's medical and preventive care department, told Sagayda that the documents had been submitted back in November. However, they turned out to be inconsistent with the requirements and remain uncorrected.
Pavel Sagayda believes Zubov is being continually misled by the oncology center and the regional Ministry of Health. However, they officially state that he is receiving full medical care and that this is a medical confidentiality (the editorial office has a copy of the letter).
"I don't trust or believe the doctors at the Rostov Oncology Institute because they constantly lie. They're afraid I'll end up with real specialists in Moscow and discover a defect in the surgery, leaving me unable to walk," Zubov says.
In early January, the pump beeped warningly—the medication was running low. There was no time to waste.
To involve Moscow specialists from the Blokhin Center, it was decided to conduct a telemedicine session. This way, the Moscow doctors could monitor Zubov's condition and make a decision on his further treatment. On January 15, Zubov was brought to the Rostov Oncology Center, but the medical staff concealed the presence of Moscow specialists. They said it was for a consultation. Seeing the camera, Alexander Nikolaevich assumed it was for law enforcement and refused to allow filming. Ultimately, his pump was disconnected, but he refused to allow it to be removed.
Today, he is left without any treatment, without pain relief, and is forced to endure severe pain. The pump expires on January 23rd.
