In the Leningrad region, an elderly woman with cancer was unable to receive the necessary medical care due to the coronavirus and performed the operation herself, according to a paramedic. A criminal case has been opened.
As told by Victoria Shutova, a paramedic, on her page in “VKontakte”, an elderly woman who experienced the war and the blockade, suffers from an oncological disease, which has led to complications in the form of ascites – the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. With ascites, “it is impossible to walk, to lie down, and even to breathe,” she explained.
According to the author of the post, the pensioner “could not get timely help” due to the situation with the coronavirus and decided to try to perform the operation herself to alleviate the pain. “Grandma performs a surgical procedure on herself – laparocentesis – to relieve her condition. In other words, she makes incisions with a thin knife on the front abdominal wall to drain fluid,” Shuotova said.
“Dear and beloved daughter, as well as my beloved grandchildren. If you can, please forgive me for my actions, but I can no longer live with my illnesses and bear the pain. It’s very painful and difficult for me,” the note said.
At the moment, the pensioner is in the hospital, Shutoff clarified: “She has wonderful, very caring relatives, everything is fine with her at the moment, but she really needs dignified palliative care. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. Episodes End of story. Podcast advertising.
As “Komsomolskaya Pravda” clarified, the pensioner is over 90 years old. The Health Committee of the Leningrad region said in a comment to the publication that they did not perform a planned operation on the pensioner because she had problems with her tests. “She tested positive for COVID-19, so the surgery had to be postponed. Now the grandmother is getting all the help she needs. The doctors are doing their best to alleviate her condition. Meanwhile, we are conducting an investigation into the matter,” the committee reported.
Later, the regional government clarified that the pensioner was treated twice at the Vyborg Interdistrict Hospital, where she was recommended to undergo surgery for ascites, and further clarification of the oncological diagnosis and treatment was to be carried out at the Leningrad Regional Oncology Clinic. In November, an ambulance was called for a woman, and the doctors who arrived decided to admit her to Vyborg Hospital. Before being admitted to the hospital, she underwent a PCR test, which was positive. Then she was offered hospitalization in Tosno hospital, where urgent surgical care is provided to patients with coronavirus, but the woman’s relatives refused, the press service of the regional government told Interfax.
“In the future, the woman remained under outpatient observation, and the coronavirus test was performed twice more – both times the results were positive,” the press service said.
On Tuesday evening, the press service of the Regional Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced the opening of a criminal case under Article 238.1 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Provision of services that do not meet the requirements of safety of life or health of consumers”).