"The FSB will take care of you": A psychological attack was announced to the starving nurses of Kolomna

To heighten the effect, they were even allowed to stand next to the nurses in the operating rooms!

Julia Suntsova

In the Kolomna perinatal center, the nurses' hunger strike continues these days. The protest action of the workers was started in order to tell the general public about unbearable working conditions - as a result of the thoughtless optimization of health care.

Several nurses tried to influence the situation by “peaceful means” for more than a year. They called on the management to reduce the workload to the level stipulated by labor legislation, or at least pay extra for constant overtime on 12-hour shifts.

The problem directly affects patients. Health workers with chronic fatigue cannot guarantee quality medical care, and pregnant women, women in labor and babies require special, responsible care. And a quick reaction, for example, in the operating room. In the end, within the walls of not only maternity hospitals, but any other “optimized” medical institution, each of us can be. But will the sisters in dressing gowns, who have been working at 12 o'clock for years, be able to provide us with proper assistance if they themselves need help. 12-hour work shifts with five posts at the same time - sounds like a promo for a Hollywood blockbuster.

The appeals of nurses from the Kolomna perinatal center to common sense remained unheeded. Requests for negotiations were ignored not only by the authorities, but by almost all inspections and supervisory authorities of the Moscow region. The hospital staff, with the support of the Interregional Trade Union of Physicians "Action", decided to take a desperate step.

On February 2, the first participant, nurse Natalya Trukhina, went on a hunger strike, the rest, according to the regulations, had to join her with an interval of five days.

In addition to explanatory work as part of the protest campaign, nurses continue to work at their workplaces.

“Our legislation gives the right to strike. But if we completely stop our work, women in childbirth, women in childbirth, their children will be seriously affected, because they will be left completely without help and care. The absence of even a few nurses from work will immediately lead to sad consequences, because we no longer have a “second shift,” the nurses explain.

Yulia Shatskaya was the second to join the hunger strike.

From the very first day, the shares of all junior nurses of the Kolomna Perinatal Center are tirelessly "pressed" in the office of the head physician. They call one by one, taking advantage of the fact that nurses are on shifts and cannot refuse the employer. The ignorant are called more than once.

What happens on the carpet?

Those called are met from the threshold by the head physician Tatyana Shavrak herself, two employees of the Ministry of Health of the region and two people unknown to the nurses. Further, with requests, pressure and threats (increasingly) they are trying to force them to refuse to participate in the hunger strike.

The main argument of the authorities: the hunger strike and stuff like that is extremism and the FSB will deal with you.

During such a “therapy session”, Natalya Trukhina, who has been on a hunger strike for the sixth day, became ill (pressure surge), and an ambulance was called for her.

Another participant said that she was called to the office regularly. The conversation is short - they are asked to sign an application for renunciation of the hunger strike.

Under pressure, Yulia Shatskaya surrendered - the nurse was supposed to go on a hunger strike second, after Natalya Trukhina. The dictation-written statement uses the term “protests,” which is atypical for the medical community.

After such conversations, Shatskaya’s pressure also jumped, as a result, she went on sick leave, and told her colleagues that after graduation she plans to quit the perinatal center.

“Threatened is not the right word. They walked over my son, asked personal questions, said that I was setting him up. They tried to influence through partners. They said: “If she suddenly makes the wrong solution now, then it will not seem enough to all of you.” Two hours later, the chief physician herself and her subordinates followed me on my heels. In the operating room, these people just hung over me - which cloth I wash, in which direction I breathe. I lasted until six. I was brought to such a state that I was ready to throw myself under a car. I have never had such thoughts in my life! I'm still shaking. I can’t even describe it, ”Shatskaya later told her colleagues.

The retired colleague was supported by nurse Iolanta Rusotskaya.

“Due to the fact that our colleague, junior nurse Yulia Shatskaya, under strong pressure, was forced to sign an application for ending the protest hunger strike an hour ago, I, the junior nurse of the Kolomna Perinatal Center, am going on a hunger strike ahead of schedule. From 8:00 the next morning, I start a hunger strike to protest in defense of our labor rights,” she recorded a video message.

Thus, the number of nurses who have already entered the hunger strike today remains the same - two people.

For defending their labor rights and the interests of patients, nurses almost immediately after the hunger strike were targeted by state propaganda.

The TV channels played the necessary stories. Opponents have nothing to object to on the merits of the demands, therefore, the 360 channel, for example, is trying to use the allocation of material assistance to three junior nurses by the Action trade union as “compromising evidence”.

- At the end of last year, the employer deprived three employees of the Kolomna Perinatal Center of a “stimulus payment” of 4 thousand rubles. for violent social activities, as the nurses understood from a conversation with the administration. Yes, the other day the trade union dealt with these dirty management methods in detail, with which they hope to force employees to give up their rights, and found it possible, in accordance with the charter, to allocate financial assistance to the victims for the same amount. Terrible crime! And even in the conditions of a complex protest campaign, it turns out that the trade union dares to be constantly in touch, advises and legally supports workers. But on TV it is called "keep control over the occupied maternity hospital" , - Andrey Konoval, the organizing secretary of the Interregional trade union of medical workers "Action" comments.

The head physician of the Kolomna Perinatal Center in these stories with a confused face declares that she had no idea about the "subversive activities" in the organization she leads. The nurses approached imperceptibly, treacherously, like a partisan!

Of course, Mrs. Shavrak could not have been unaware of the impending hunger strike.

On January 25, 2022, the team of nurses submitted an official application to the management, even the incoming number of this appeal has been preserved.

The nurses insisted on negotiations, but in vain.

And on February 1, the head physician disrupted the meeting with the nurses, which she herself initiated. She just didn't come.

A funny move - to talk about the construction of a three-story mansion for the "grey eminence of the union." The name of the “cardinal”, however, is not called, there are no hints of deanonymization of the main character of the plot, who profits from poor underfed nurses.

Despite the "darkness" about the Kolomna case, they slowly started talking in other planes.

On Monday, the topic was discussed from the rostrum of the State Duma.

“For the sake of budgetary savings, officials are withdrawing junior medical staff “out of staff” of medical institutions, as they did in Kolomna near Moscow. This vicious practice must be stopped in order to maintain the availability of medical care and the stability of the entire health care system of the country, said Sergey Mironov, chairman of the Just Russia - For Truth party, on Monday. - For three years, the center has almost completely reduced the junior medical staff. The remaining nurses work hard, and they are still periodically threatened with demotion to cleaners.”

Withdrawing employees from the state and taking away their status as a medical worker allows the employer not to raise salaries and bypass guarantees for social benefits. In the Kolomna Perinatal Center, for example, junior nurses and nurses demoted to cleaning service never saw covid payments, because in the “optimization schemes” they are no longer listed as medical workers.

This situation is developing in all regions, junior medical staff survive from medicine, the politician notes.

From 2014 to 2019, the number of junior medical staff in Russia decreased from 650,000 to 260,000 people, and cuts continue during the pandemic.

In half of the constituent entities of Russia in budget outpatient clinics and hospitals, the crisis has reached a critical point - patients cannot get to doctors and hospitalization. The situation is fundamentally at odds with the ideas of the May decrees.

“For the sake of budgetary savings, officials are withdrawing junior medical staff “out of staff” of medical institutions, as they did in Kolomna near Moscow. This vicious practice must be stopped in order to maintain the availability of medical care and the stability of the entire health care system of the country, said Sergey Mironov, chairman of the Just Russia - For Truth party, on Monday. - For three years, the center has almost completely reduced the junior medical staff. The remaining nurses work hard, and they are still periodically threatened with demotion to cleaners.”