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Health See other Health Articles Title: Russian doctor rebellion causes headache for Putin Yahoo... In this photo taken on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, Dr. Semyon Galperin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at Hospital 11 in Moscow, Russia. Dr. Galperin spent a decade in medical research in Russia and as much time in the United States, working at top hospitals and research companies. Despite his expertise, Galperin was recently given a stark ultimatum from the Moscow hospital where he works: Leave or stay on as a lowly hospital attendant. Galperin’s job is being eliminated as part of a sweeping reform in which at least 28 Moscow hospitals are to be closed and up to 10,000 medical staff fired, an overhaul that officials say is needed to modernize a decrepit Soviet-era health system. At the hospital, Galperin is vowing to stay on even if that means working as an attendant: “I can’t leave work because we decided to fight till the end,” he said. MOSCOW (AP) — Dr. Semyon Galperin spent a decade in medical research in Russia and as much time in the United States, working at top hospitals and research companies. Despite his expertise, Galperin was recently given a stark ultimatum from the Moscow hospital where he works: Leave or stay on as a lowly hospital attendant. Galperin's job is being eliminated as part of a sweeping reform in which at least 28 Moscow hospitals are to be closed and up to 10,000 medical staff fired, an overhaul that officials say is needed to modernize a decrepit Soviet-era health system. On Sunday, thousands of doctors and their patients are set to march against the reform as part of the first mass social protest in Russia in nearly a decade — a threat to President Vladimir Putin who faced down a wave of political protests launched in 2011 and is now struggling with a faltering economy. The doctors' rebellion started early this month, when thousands took to the streets to protest the layoffs and hospital closures. Last time a similar protest happened in 2005, Putin became so alarmed that within a week he overturned the scrapping of social benefits for millions of pensioners and the disabled, and in fact doubled pensions instead. Aware of the potential fall-out of this protest, Putin last week asked the Moscow government to reconsider the reform as his human rights council hosted a round table discussion with prominent doctors and trade unions that were not consulted when the reform was launched. At Moscow's Hospital 11, Galperin is vowing to stay on even if that means working as an attendant: "I can't leave work because we decided to fight till the end," he said. Moscow officials say they are only complying with a 2010 Russian law designed to help hospitals complete a transition from the Soviet-era economy and make them self-reliant by cutting budget subsidies to a minimum. Moscow Health Care Department spokeswoman Elina Nikolayeva defended the firings as inevitable: "Some of the doctors who are being fired are underqualified," she said. "Some of them don't have enough workload." View gallery In this photo taken on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, Ales … In this photo taken on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, Ales Kochevnik speaks during an interview with The Ass … The doctors' unrest is particularly problematic for Putin because almost all of them are state employees — the core of his support base. Russia has enjoyed low unemployment of about 5 percent in the last decade because of heavy subsidies to state enterprises, schools and hospitals. Following the political protests, Putin won his third term office in 2012 largely because state employees believed in his promise to increase their living standards. Now, that very promise seems to be backfiring. Moscow officials are carrying out the health care reform in order to make good on Putin's election pledge to boost the livelihoods of public servants — including a vow to make doctors' salaries twice that of the average employee by 2018. Moscow Deputy Mayor Leonid Pechatnikov says that had it not been for Putin's pledge, the health reform would not be so fast or brutal. Moscow's health care system is a relic of the communist health care system under which every citizen was entitled to free medical services. In a bid to save funds, Moscow health care officials are focusing on promoting neighborhood clinics that will provide comprehensive care and keep people out of hospital beds. The reforms were not discussed with the medical community, however, and their details only became public in October following a leak in the press. Doctors and hospitals that found themselves in the vortex of the reform have not been told why they are being phased out or what is going to happen to their patients. View gallery In this photo taken on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, Dr. … In this photo taken on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, Dr. Semyon Galperin speaks during an interview with … At Hospital 11 where Galperin works, 136 out of its 320 medical staff, mostly doctors, were given the notice and the hospital is to be shuttered by April. Grilled about the hospital's closing, Deputy Mayor Pechatnikov told a session of the presidential human rights council last week that the hospital "monopolized" the treatment of multiple sclerosis in Moscow, making it impossible to get treatment elsewhere in the city. The health department's Nikolayeva told The Associated Press that Hospital 11's "doctors are abusing their position" and that the city does not need as many neurologists now that Moscow purchased high-tech MRI equipment making it easier to diagnose multiple sclerosis. Galperin and his colleagues say they provide multiple sclerosis treatment that cannot be obtained elsewhere in Moscow. Their suggestion to set up a multiple sclerosis clinic on the grounds of the hospital in order to keep the expertise and equipment in one place has not received a response. Galperin says he was probably targeted because of his union activities: He was given notice the day after he made a speech at a trade union committee, demanding a fairer pay scheme. But other doctors who kept a low profile were given the boot, too. Meanwhile, Putin's objection to the Moscow health reform appears to be making its mark. In a statement last week, the presidential human rights council called for a halt to the layoffs and insisted that in its current form, the reform violates a constitutional right to free health care. The Moscow health department held a number of roundtables with medical professionals, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin offered additional severance pay of up to 500,000 rubles ($10,700) per doctor. But that has not yet translated into any concrete action. Meanwhile, some patients fear that the reform will hurt them the most. Ales Kochevnik, 29, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago. Treatment allows her to live a more or less a normal life, albeit one interrupted by fits that can leave parts of her body temporarily paralyzed. "They taught me to walk five times," the young artist says of Hospital 11. "It's a scary disease. It can strike at any moment. A couple of times I was sitting with friends drinking coffee, and within 15 minutes it would strike." On a recent afternoon, Kochevnik went to Red Square to lay down on its cobbled pavement in protest. Supporters stood by, each carrying an IV drip. One held a poster reading: "A hospital without doctors is a mortuary." Poster Comment: Bob It's not the same problem AT ALL. Since when has there been a glut of Medical Doctors in the U.S.? Since when have there been "insufficient workload" for any Medical Doctor in the U.S.? Since when have doctors been threatened to accept work as Hospital orderlies?6-7 SomeoneElse @Bob When you go to the hospital, you get 3 bills. 1 from the hospital, 1 from the doctors and nurses, and 1 for lab work, radiology etc While doctors are not cheap, the hey are often the least expensive bill you get.7-2 [Ellliot] @Bob You don't have it anywhere near right. Most doctors do NOT belong to the AMA. The AMA is not a union. The AMA like the AARP and other so called representative organizations are for themselves and do little or nothing for their constituencies. We have a shortage of doctors because it is no longer an occupation that allows him/her to do what is best for the patient. Insurance companies decide what a patient can have and make it so burdensome to appeal that doctors and patients can't/won't do it. As for Medicare, an anonymous group, appointed by the president, decide what you can have in the way of care. That's Obamacare. 68% of all doctors are employed by pseudo non profits like Mayo, Hopkins and many others. Not alone, among many kinds of specialists, cardiologists have been forced to join them as Medicare has cut their reimbursements drastically. Primary care is in drastically short supply. When you are admitted to a hospital you are cared for by a hospitalist who has no knowledge of you as a patient and is paid and told what they can do for you. The article states that the advent of MRI has made the neurologists superfluous as far as MS goes. We have had MRIs and used them for, among other things, making the diagnosis of MS for 30+ years. At some point, a decade ago, Canada had 27 MRIs in the country. At the same time we had 2700. If you need an MRI in Canada today you can wait around 6 months. In the US if you need an MRI look at your watch and you can have one. When the wealthy of the world need sophisticated medical care they come to the US.8-1 manos Hey Arjuna; A part of the problem in the U.S started when mother's decided to go out and work thus doubling and tripling the household income. Subsequent studies showed the increase in income and prices of everything were readjusted accordingly! BUT, when mom and dad got divorced suddenly they each had to pay an amount for health insurance that was based on their combined incomes. In other words their initial greed did them in!! Add to that the liberal benefits included by employers and it's not hard to see why prices sky rocketed in the "80's and onward resulting in the mess that we have today!!. Suddenly those outrageously expensive vacations every year to super exotic locations becomes just a dream! In other words they wanted their cake and eat it too!! Even though there are many places in the U.S to have a wonderful vacation,it just wasn't sheik anymore! Never mind the bleeding of U.S dollars overseas! Dollars that will never be circulating within the U.S again So now the single mom's absolutely adore Obama for offering what amounts to free quality health care for all at an affordable price!! If you believe Obama and Pelosi, I have some dot com stock to sell you real cheap! And just like most government programs, that program will last a few years until the settup collapses as it does in other socialist/communist states where there is little oversight and even less accountability! -1 James Oil being manipulated to 65 a barrel will be the primary headache! 31-3 [neal] Well we know one thing its not big oil doing the manipulation.6 [James] True Neal. They made a deal that after Russia collapses they can hike it to 120 a barrel in a short timeframe.1-4 [G] While I am happy to see $65/barrel oil, it will affect oil production in the fracking regions in the US and Canada. OPEC knows that by pushing the price of oil down, those like Russia with deeper wells and those who are fracking will face decisions of closing operations until prices recover, or continue operations at a lost. Russia cannot afford to close operations at any cost because it needs cash flow. Closing wells in the USA will hurt local economies (i.e., North Dakota) and private businesses, unless we hear the word "bailout." [Rodger S] back in the 70's my nephew worked for an oil company in Texas. He told me what they were doing is when they discovered a new well they would take that oil and pump it to an empty well. then they would claim there was no oil and write it off as a loss. they've been doing this for years. they've known about North Dakota for decades. but it was better to use middle east oil because it was cheaper than drilling here, and they might have lost their subsidies. we've been duped to think a certain way about our oil being too expensive to produce.3-`1 [John] Manipulated price James? And you know that oil will go to $120/bl? Due tell. You don't know that at all, you're only speculating and trying to start a rumor. Truth is, $70 oil is where it should've been a couple of years ago as the true price. If you'd done a little research, you'd know that. The reason it is at this price now, and may go a little lower is all the fracking wells coming online and getting to full production. Lower oil is good for business and ultimately good for jobs. I think it will stabilize here for several years and that's a good thing. Why the conspiracy theories? And yes, I hope the low prices bite Putin in the butt. [James] Well John looking at the options activity oil will spike up to 120 mid 2016. Pure math and derivative analysis. Manipulation can be done in the blink of an eye to cause geopolitical strife for certain nations I assure you.-1 [neal] First Roger: your dear nephew does not have a clue what he is talking about...trust me after a 40 years in the West Texas oil business. 2nd yes they have known about the shale formations in ND for a long time. It the ability to drill horizontal along with fracking the tight shale formations that finally made the ND and other regions economical. If any one can accurately predict where the price of crude will be in 6mths,12mths or 1 year please let the big bankers know so they can make a killing. Its a big world out there and lots of factors effect crude and natural gas prices. If you want to hope for something hope that it begins to stabilize at some steady sustainable price be it $70 or $110 BBL for as long as possible. Business and manufacturing industry planning demand a known future energy for profitability. Just ask any airline. [James] We may see a lower low testing 60 and plunging to 57.50-58 very soon. Chris Capitalism rewards the unworthy. Socialism punishes the undeserving. Only communism makes everyone equal. Equally miserable.13-1 CelticActually, this will be good for the over all health of the Russian people. In 'Confessions Of A Medical Heretic' by Dr Robert Mendelsohn, he wrote that every time allopathic MD's go on strike anywhere in the world the death rate decreases ( he also documents that claim with examples ). Less doctors means less iatrogenic illness and resultant death. I wish we had leaders like this in the west. The medical profession kills far more people per year than do firearms.24-9 Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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