Tatyana Nikolaevna, why did the topic of health protection and human rights protection come to the fore at today’s international meeting of ombudsmen?
Tatyana Moskalkova: Socrates’ answer to the question “Is there anything more important than health?” answered: “Health is not everything, but everything without health is nothing!”
The health of citizens is a priority for all socially responsible states. We live in an era when the lives and health of people are threatened by new diseases and pandemics, natural disasters, man-made disasters and armed conflicts. It must be said that the situation is complicated by the sanctions policy of Western states, especially complicating the logistics of obtaining medicines and medical equipment. These are serious challenges. And our conference is dedicated to discussing ways to protect the right to health in these new conditions. Representatives of human rights institutions from more than 50 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America gathered in Moscow today. And we intend to develop specific recommendations to strengthen guarantees of citizens’ rights to health at both the national and supranational levels. Well, in general, we need to remind you that our annual International Conference of Ombudsmen is a landmark event for the whole world and very significant for the modern human rights agenda.
What is noticeable to the Ombudsman: how are health rights ensured and violated in Russia?
Tatyana Moskalkova: According to opinion polls, 40 percent of our citizens say that medicine in Russia has improved compared to ten years ago.
Specific examples: in 2023, every second resident of the country underwent a medical examination program. And almost 2 million citizens with cardiovascular diseases have received medicines free of charge over the past three years.
It is noticeable that the state is trying, actively working to ensure that human rights in the field of health care are strictly observed (and in all their diversity).
Because healthy people are, figuratively speaking, the country’s “gold reserve”. Intellectual potential, economic opportunities, and defense capability depend on the health of the population – both physical and spiritual-moral. The level of civilization of a state, the strength of its public institutions, the capabilities of its power structures also depend on the health of people.
Infographic “RG” / Anton Perepletchikov / Elena Yakovleva
Therefore, in accordance with the Healthcare Development Strategy until 2025, we are increasing the availability and quality of medical care, developing medical infrastructure, preventing mass diseases, and creating new medical technologies. Well, as a result, a culture of healthy lifestyle is formed.
Significant progress has also been made in the digitalization of medical services. Registration procedures and issuance of certificates are being converted into electronic form. In your personal account on the State Services portal, everyone can receive 11 types of medical documents. Last year, more than 39 million citizens used the service to schedule a visit to a specific specialist and view their medical records. About 2.5 million people received telemedicine consultations for outpatient care.
However, there are issues that need to be addressed.
What complaints do you most often receive? Can’t find the medications you need? Can’t get to the hospital off-road? What questions are raised by wounded SVO soldiers and people who suffered from barbaric shelling and bombing of civilians?
Tatyana Moskalkova: Over the first 9 months of this year, we received more than 700 requests. Although their number decreases every year, we still receive many requests, and many of them are collective and concern the rights of a large number of people.
Mostly, people come to us with requests for organizing medical care, assistance in collecting medical documents for conducting a medical and social examination, and reporting disagreement with the diagnosis. There are also requests related to the accessibility and quality of medical care.
Of course, we pay special attention to helping our wounded servicemen. Together with the Main Military Medical Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, we help them with rehabilitation, purchasing prostheses, wheelchairs and much more. We also provide assistance to citizens who have suffered from barbaric shelling and bombing, carrying out this work together with the heads of the constituent entities of the border territories (I would like to note that they very clearly and promptly help people).
For example, we have received requests from evacuated citizens from the DPR and Ukraine suffering from diabetes mellitus regarding the issue of providing insulin. We immediately worked through the situation with the Moscow Department of Health, and people received the necessary medications.
I remember the case of a woman who needed high-tech cardiovascular surgery. As a result of close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Altai Territory, she was given a quota at the Burdenko National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery and was successfully operated on.
If we are not talking about helping specific people, but about solving problems on the merits, what initiatives of yours have worked?
Tatyana Moskalkova: Of course, we have the opportunity not only to help specific people, but also to participate in the development of assistance measures at the federal and regional levels.
For example, many times we have raised the issue of the immediate release of convicts from punishment due to a serious chronic illness. And as a result of joint work with the legislator, the corresponding amendments were reflected in the law.
We support the “Zemsky Doctor” program, thanks to which medical workers receive payments not only when moving to rural areas, but also when returning to their native places after training. This helps support medical personnel in small towns and villages, which is extremely important for ensuring access to medical care.
I cannot help but note regional healthcare practices. A striking example is the creation of special “health trains” that help provide medical services to remote regions of the country. Over the course of just one “health train” from Vladivostok to Moscow, more than 6,000 people were examined. Russia is a huge country, and it is important that all citizens, regardless of their place of residence, have access to qualified medical care.
We are implementing several projects aimed at increasing citizens’ awareness of their health rights. Including for pensioners and citizens with disabilities.
We hold one of these, the “Integration” Festival for people with disabilities, every year. We organize human rights master classes, lectures, film screenings, and free legal consultations. This year, the festival’s audience has expanded, and it was attended by representatives of public organizations of people with disabilities and residents of new constituent entities of the Russian Federation .
There is a campaign “Together against diabetes”, actively supported by human rights ombudsmen.
What priorities have emerged in the international cooperation of ombudsmen in protecting the rights to health?
Tatyana Moskalkova: Several years ago, in 2020, including on my initiative, the Eurasian Alliance of Ombudsmen (EAO) was created, which currently includes 10 states (Russia, Armenia, Bahrain, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Serbia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). The Alliance was created to combine efforts in human rights activities, including to improve the protection of rights to health care.
By the way, the previous meeting of the alliance was devoted to this very topic. In addition to the permanent members of the EAO, the ombudsmen of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Mali, Malawi, as well as representatives from Belarus took part in the meeting as observers.
The member states of the EAO have accumulated significant experience in ensuring and protecting the right to health care, much of which is applicable to Russia.
Many have to face sanctions related to medicines and medical equipment. This is completely unacceptable: vital things should not be an instrument of politics
We also interact with the ombudsmen of other states, and this cooperation brings good concrete results. For example, at my request, the ombudsmen of Brazil and Turkey visited Russian citizens in prison who needed medical care, and as a result it was provided to them in full.
We work with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian Red Cross. At our requests, representatives of the ICRC with the ombudsmen of Ukraine and Turkey visited Russian military personnel held captive in Ukraine and assisted in providing them with medical assistance.
At a September meeting with the President of the ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric, we discussed a wide range of humanitarian issues and identified further areas of cooperation.
However, international humanitarian cooperation also faces serious challenges. For example, many countries that have been subjected to thousands of illegal restrictions by the “collective West” are faced with interruptions in the purchase of medicines. Their citizens were deprived of the opportunity to undergo specialized treatment in foreign clinics. But this is another example of how important it is now to develop cooperation between human rights institutions.
Are there any problems that are equally acute for the ombudsmen of all countries participating in the conference? What is important for you to draw their attention to?
Tatyana Moskalkova: Well, of course, these are issues of ensuring accessibility and quality of medical care and respect for the rights of people with disabilities. Particular attention will be paid to providing medical (including emergency) assistance to civilians and military personnel in armed conflicts.
The catastrophic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that a collaborative and cohesive approach is essential to preventing and responding to pandemics. This is a challenge that transcends national boundaries and requires collective action. We will study national, regional and international experience in solving this problem and hope to develop concrete solutions that will serve as a guide to action for authorities.
The conference will give new impetus to the development of human rights work in the field of health, and I am confident that joint efforts will help us strengthen the health system at the national and international levels.
Pandemics and epidemics that pose a threat to people’s lives and health have not yet been eliminated. We regularly witness man-made disasters and natural disasters. Many countries have to face sanctions that relate to medicines and medical equipment, which is completely unacceptable: vital things cannot and should not be a political instrument!
I will definitely draw the attention of the conference participants to the inadmissibility of the use of unconventional weapons: shells with depleted uranium, Lepestok-type mines, chemical munitions, etc.
And, of course, any attempts to attack nuclear energy facilities are completely unacceptable; this could lead to a global catastrophe.
I hope that my fellow ombudsmen fully share my concerns. Ensuring the rights of citizens during this period requires strengthening the mechanisms of our cooperation.
Of course, it is necessary to develop humanitarian dialogue during armed conflicts. At such times, visiting the wounded in hospitals, mutual assistance in providing medications and rehabilitation services is required. Our experience shows that ombudsmen have great opportunities for this.
And all our thoughts are still about how to help people. How to protect them, restore their rights, restore faith in justice and mercy. This is our mission and duty.
By law
Everyone is equal before illness
The Constitution and the federal law “On the fundamentals of protecting the health of citizens in the Russian Federation” guarantee the citizens of our country health protection regardless of gender, race, age, nationality, language, presence of diseases, conditions, origin, property and official status, place of residence, attitude to religion, beliefs, membership in public associations and other circumstances. They also provide protection from any form of discrimination due to citizens having any diseases.
Source: rg.ru
