Continuation of the scandal: was it the technical oxygen that was supplied to Rostov hospitals?

On November 24, RostovGazeta , citing deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, reported that medical cylinders for the needs of Rostov hospitals are filled with technical oxygen. “We observed how for two weeks, every day a large flow of trucks with license plates from the Krasnodar Territory delivered technical oxygen from the substation in cylinders with the words “Medical oxygen” to city hospitals”, - one of the people's representatives told the publication.

The cylinders were dispatched to the address: Planetnaya Street, 8. It turned out that there is a branch of the Krasnodar enterprise - Kubanitehgaz CJSC. In turn, the firm was quick to deny allegations of the supply of technical oxygen. From a letter from the director of the enterprise, Nikolay Mikhailik, it follows that due to the spread of coronavirus and in agreement with the regional Ministry of Health, the company organized the shipment of medical oxygen on 1st Lugovaya Street. “ In the course of work, orders for the supply of cylinders began to increase, which could lead to a malfunction and shortage of oxygen to hospitals. Based on this, it was decided to open a second place for the shipment of medical oxygen at the address: Planetnaya, 8. In the event that any of the sections stops working, supplies will be disrupted, which can lead to the death of patients”, - the letter says.

Regional director of the enterprise Anton Sudarev explained that medical oxygen is delivered to Rostov directly from the plant from Krasnodar. “We have medical oxygen - the purest. In any hospital where we supplied oxygen, you can check, take tests. We are saving people's lives, we are playing in earnest”, - he said.

Despite this, the deputies intend to appeal to the prosecutor's office with a demand to investigate the situation. “I am not an expert, and I cannot argue about whether it is good for people to breathe technical oxygen. I suppose that patients who have lung damage under the influence of coronavirus infection will not benefit from technical oxygen”, - says Yevgeny Bessonov, head of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of the Rostov Region. He believes that the difference between technical and medical oxygen is the same as between medical alcohol and moonshine.

At the same time, lawyer Mikhail Luntovsky has already taken up the case. A Rostov woman turned to him, who wanted to fill medical scuba tanks with oxygen. But on Planetnaya 8, she was told that oxygen was technical. Also, a local resident saw how unknown persons make a shipment of technical oxygen under the guise of medical oxygen.

“The information presented in the media is in no way of a disinformation nature. First, the situation requires verification. Secondly, we have on hand the materials and the appeal of a resident of Rostov. Thirdly, we have video footage in one frame, for 43 minutes and 33 seconds, which shows how, on Planetnaya street, 8, oxygen was loaded into a medical car with a license plate of the Krasnodar Territory. The car goes in the direction of the City Hospital No. 1 named after Semashko and unloads oxygen there”, - said Luntovsky.

According to the lawyer, if the supplier company submits documents that oxygen is medical, then there will be no further claims against it.

Let us recall that in the hospital No. 20 of Rostov there was a massive death of patients on mechanical ventilation. According to preliminary information, this is due to the lack of oxygen in the medical facility. Now the law enforcement agencies are investigating the situation. After the incident, the Minister of Health of the Rostov Region Tatyana Bykovskaya and the head of the Health Department of Rostov-on-Don Nadezhda Levitskaya left their posts.