Russian doctors are being prepared for mobilization

Irina Mishina

Mobilization activities have already started today. Telegram channels in the morning began to report that doctors in Moscow were massively receiving subpoenas from military registration and enlistment offices to present a mobilization order.

However, the Central Military Medical Commission of the Ministry of Defense told us that they did not know the situation regarding the mobilization of doctors. The military registration and enlistment offices of the Kuntsevsky, Perovsky and Preobrazhensky districts of the capital also did not have information about the mobilization of medical workers.

“Today, 300,000 people are subject to mobilization, this is less than I expected, and this is not very much for the country. Society as a whole will practically not notice this, as well as conscription into a voluntary army. Doctors for conscription must have experience in combat conditions, but there are few such doctors among doctors. There are always military doctors on the staff of military structures, there is a Military Medical Academy and other educational institutions that train military doctors. Apparently, they should become the basis of medical care in the field", - medical lawyer Alexander Saversky explained to NI.

According to the portal of medical workers Provrach.ru , first of all, they can call up doctors who are on military lists and are in reserve. These are specialists with military registration specialties from the list approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 27, 2006 No. 719: general medicine, medical and preventive care, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and others.

At the end of February, information appeared on social networks that the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation announced the mobilization of doctors in Russia. These messages also stated that the Ministry of Health called on each institution under the authority of the Federal Medical Centers to compile and submit by February 25 lists with at least three specialists in each area who are ready to quickly go on a business trip to provide medical care throughout the Russian Federation. . Among those who were allegedly supposed to go on a business trip around the country were doctors from several areas, including traumatologists, pediatricians, and therapists. This event excited the community of medical workers, there were many rumors and speculation about a possible mobilization. But later the heads of medical institutions denied this information. According to what principle the mobilization will take place now, the order of the commander-in-chief does not specify.

“The order on partial mobilization today has rather vague wording. Because of this, there was a misunderstanding of who actually needs to be mobilized”, - Denis Ivanov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, reserve military surgeon, told NI. “As a result, it is not clear whether they will or will not be deployed military hospitals? Or is it work in the field? Or is it help to the civilian population? If there are hospitals, it will be precisely military doctors who are able to act in a coordinated manner, who know, for example, where to get certain packing for the operating room, consumables, who understand the terminology of military doctors. All Only professional military doctors can and can do this.Civilian doctors cannot and should not work in the field.But I repeat: in order to understand what kind of specialists are needed, goals and objectives must be clearly defined.

In general, now military surgeons work brilliantly, there are cases when they remove a shell fragment directly from the heart. Military doctors can save many lives, but with a clear organization and when they are in the right place on time. There is no point in grabbing, for example, highly qualified cardiac surgeons and dragging them into the fields. The total mobilization of doctors without clearly defined goals can disrupt the treatment process in medical institutions”.

According to the head of the Higher School of Organization and Management of Health Guzel Ulumbekova, today only in the primary care there is a shortage of doctors - one and a half times the established standard. Will the partial mobilization of health workers make the situation worse?

“The number of mobilized reserve medical officers will depend on the real needs of the medical service of the Russian Armed Forces. What are these needs? Even if I knew these numbers, I would not consider it correct to give them, because it can be used against the Russian armed forces. Regarding the damage to our medicine, I will say this: the colossal damage caused to it by optimization and the fight against the coronavirus cannot be compared with any special operation. And, of course, in today's conditions, no one will send a sick or unprepared person into the trenches. Assistance on the battlefield is provided in the form of self-help and mutual assistance, as well as by sanitary instructors, there are not even doctors there. The procedure for providing medical care in the field is fixed in the relevant documents. In the zone of clashes, no one will deploy a medical battalion, no one will operate under shells either”, - said Vladislav Shafalinov, professor, doctor of medical sciences, academician of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, to NI.

At the time of publication, the Ministry of Health did not give us any comments on the procedure for mobilizing medical workers.