Doctors are targeted by police while treating protesters in Kiev
BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g1169 (Published 27 January 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g1169
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Update 21.02.2014
Snipers shot now dozens of protesters including journalists and medical workers. At least one of military forces person captured by protesters is a military man from Russian "special" forces.
Pro-government gangs destroyed 30+ ambulances. Head of the Kiev city ambulance service fired. The Security service took the control over ambulance service. Because of that the number of shot people is severely manipulated at least from February 19.
Competing interests: No competing interests
The majority in the Western Ukraine apparently wants to integrate with West Europe; the East including Crimea is Russian-speaking and wants to integrate with Russia. The rest of the country including the capital Kiev is both Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking. A new subdivision with more borders and customs houses is bad for the trade in medical products. Extra earnings of corrupt customs officials are in fact paid by patients and disabled people[1]. What is needed is mutual trust and lawfulness. Considering incapability of the Russian authorities to eradicate corruption, displacement of the power to the East would have unfavorable consequences for evidence-based medicine, health care and the humanitarian sphere in general [2].
Fig. 1-5: Euromaidan in Kiev, 25 January 2014.
References
1. Jargin SV. Barriers to the importation of medical products to Russia: in search of solutions. Healthcare in Low-resource Settings 2013;1:e13
http://pagepressjournals.org/index.php/hls/article/view/728
2.Jargin SV. Health care in Iraq: 2013 vs. 2003. CMAJ, published online September 17, 2013
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/181/9/576.full/reply#cmaj_el_716427
Competing interests: No competing interests
I am afraid this is nothing new in any protest. Recently a book written by a Kashmiri Doctor (Dr Rumana Makhdoomi ) entitled : WHITE MAN IN DARK has been released via Amazon. This book describes the plight of Doctors during a long period of turmoil in Kashmir. It is really tragic that Doctors are targeted in any conflict for treating wounded or trying to save a life when they are brought to hospital. These people are their PATIENTS and they have a moral duty to treat them to the best of their ability and resources irrespective of colour, creed, religion & last but not least source of the trauma.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: Doctors are targeted by police while treating protesters in Kiev
The Crimea and the patriotic rhetoric around it are perfectly suitable to distract our people’s attention from internal problems such as corruption and other barriers to the importation of medical products (1), as well as unconstructive policies in health care compelling many wealthy people to go for medical treatment abroad and some others to pay for placebos (2). Globalization based on mutual trust must finally prevail. How to achieve it, mutual trust? In my opinion, the West-East gradient of authority should be generally preserved. There are many things to be done by the whole of mankind to improve the life of billions; however, excessive birth rates, ethnic and gender shifts should be addressed.
1. Jargin SV. Barriers to the importation of medical products to Russia: in search of solutions. Healthcare in Low-resource Settings 2013;1:e13. http://pagepressjournals.org/index.php/hls/article/view/728
2. Jargin SV, Wilson DW. Some pitalls in testing antiatherogenic agents in cell cultures. World Heart Journal 2014;6(2).
Competing interests: No competing interests