In Veliky Novgorod, people are waiting for hours for an ambulance, and the station's management is punishing medical workers who speak out about the problems.

Report of problems with the Veliky Novgorod ambulance service noticed Andrey Konoval, co-chair of the Action trade union, shared on social media how she couldn't wait for an ambulance to come to a cancer patient who was in pain after a course of chemotherapy. 

"It wasn't even a team that responded to the call, but a single, physically exhausted woman (apparently a paramedic), who said she'd been working alone the entire shift due to the lack of a second medic. After providing what assistance she could, the employee took the patient to the hospital," the patient's relative wrote. 

Under her message The "ChP 53 Veliky Novgorod" group has accumulated dozens of similar posts. Residents report long waits for ambulances, even for children with high fevers and bleeding. 

Emergency medical personnel wrote on social media that 25 teams should be available to cover the city's population of over 220. However, only 7 to 11 teams are typically on call. Doctors complained about low salaries at the station and filed complaints with regulatory authorities. 

But instead of addressing the accumulated problems, officials and the station's chief physician began to investigate which medical workers had filed the complaints. They demanded written explanations for the labor discipline violations from Anzhelika Burova, chair of the local branch of the "Action" trade union. She was subsequently issued a disciplinary sanction for allegedly violating professional ethics. This sanction is currently being contested in court. 

"Generally speaking, the administration has it pretty good: it's so convenient to operate with impunity, violating emergency medical service regulations, and to prosecute those employees who criticize management and the procedures they've established for violating the code of ethics," Konoval added. 

Problems with ambulances are also being reported in other cities. "NeMoscow" WroteThere's a shortage of drivers in Yoshkar-Ola: they earn less than tram drivers, and their salaries have fallen by 16% over two years. There's also a shortage of doctors everywhere. In Kamchatka, they're planning close tuberculosis dispensary in a remote village.