Dronov Nikolai Petrovich. Nikolai Dronov - Chairman of the All-Russian public organization "Movement against Cancer"

SCHOOL OF PATIENTS Nikolai Petrovich Dronov Chairman of the Executive Committee of the IPM "Movement Against Cancer" Nikolai Petrovich Dronov Chairman of the Executive Committee of the IPM "Movement Against Cancer" Authors: N.P. Dronov, L.S. Moskvina - Executive Secretary of the Branch of the Public Council for the Protection of Patients' Rights at territorial body of Roszdravnadzor for Moscow and Moscow Region


Description of the Patient School A socially useful, socially significant information and educational project A socially useful, socially significant informational and educational project to inform patients suffering from malignant neoplasms (MNT), and their loved ones, all interested parties about the modern achievements of medical science and clinical practice in the field of oncology. A unique system for the exchange of reliable information A unique system for the exchange of reliable information between patients, medical workers, health care organizers, medical organizations, experts and representatives of government bodies at all levels and local self-government about the most effective and modern methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and ways to ensure accessibility these methods in the Russian Federation


Description of the Patient School For cancer patients and their relatives with the participation of specialists from leading specialized medical institutions, representatives of health authorities, public organizations, psychologists and lawyers. Practicing doctors inform the participants of the “School” about modern methods of cancer treatment, methods of diagnosing cancer diseases, and the system of rehabilitation measures. Lawyers explain the legal and legal aspects related to obtaining disability, free treatment, interaction with the employer, and social care authorities. An equally important block of the “School” is the participation of a psychologist who tells patients, their relatives and loved ones how not to break down, persevere and fight for a better quality of life.


Goals and objectives of the School of Patients: Formation in patients of a persistent and conscious commitment to scientifically based and clinically proven methods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as well as rehabilitation, promoting patient compliance with medical prescriptions. Identification and synthesis of the most common medical questions that concern patients and their relatives, the answers to which will be given by leading medical experts - public opinion leaders, advanced scientists and clinical practitioners. Professional psychological support for patients with cancer and their loved ones who find themselves in difficult life situations. Identification and practical assistance of professional medical lawyers in resolving legal problems related to receiving free medicines, specialized and primary medical care for cancer patients in the system of state guarantees of free medical care for citizens.


Goals and objectives of the School of Patients: modern methods of treating cancer of various nosological forms; methods for diagnosing oncological diseases, carried out both to make a primary diagnosis and in the process of verifying the diagnosis and determining treatment tactics; principles of treatment; procedures for preparation, conduct and subsequent actions during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures; how to behave and what to do if side effects from chemotherapy or other methods of cancer treatment occur; legally significant aspects related to obtaining disability, free treatment and medications, interaction with the employer, health authorities and social protection of the population, etc.; correct attitude towards non-traditional methods of treatment. Informing patients and their relatives about:


Goals and objectives of the School of Patients Involving potential activists and volunteers to participate in socially useful and socially significant activities of the MOVEMENT, replenishing the ranks of MOVEMENT participants from among patients, their relatives, medical personnel, and socially active citizens. Collection and subsequent delivery of collective appeals reflecting the needs of patients with cancer to health care organizers, the leadership of regional and federal authorities responsible for state policy in the field of protecting the health of citizens. Promoting the protection of the rights and legally protected interests of patients with cancer.


Interaction with health authorities The principle of priority of the patient’s interests in the provision of medical care state authorities of the Russian Federation and constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local government bodies exercising powers in the field of health care, and medical organizations, within the limits of their competence, interact with public associations and other non-profit organizations carrying out their activities in the field of health care. (Part 2 of Article 6 of the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation” dated 323-FZ). Constructive interaction with federal and regional healthcare authorities and administrations of specialized medical organizations of various departmental affiliations and forms of ownership, based on universal human values ​​and the humanitarian nature of mutual contacts


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Results of the Patient Schools Increase in the number of patients with reliable information about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as about rehabilitation after treatment. Increasing patients' compliance (adherence) to medical prescriptions and awareness of procedures and standards of medical care, as well as modern clinical recommendations Increasing awareness of patients and their loved ones about state guarantees in the field of health care, promoting the protection of the rights of oncological and oncohematological patients to guaranteed and timely access to efficient and modern, incl. innovative methods of diagnosis and antitumor therapy, including access to modern anticancer drugs and rehabilitation procedures. Formation of reasoned and substantiated collective proposals for improving the healthcare system of the Russian Federation. Promoting the implementation of the principle of priority of the patient’s interests in the provision of medical care; Promoting the implementation of the principle of accessibility and quality of medical care. Increasing the availability of modern antitumor drugs for oncology and oncohematological patients.


The benefits and significance of Patient Schools In interaction with: NP “Equal Right to Life; Roszdravnadzor and its territorial bodies; Administrations of medical, specialized educational and scientific-medical organizations; Public, human rights and medical non-profit organizations, etc. Formation in patients of a conscious commitment to science-based methods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer Raising awareness, professional psychological support, legal and social protection of patients, providing legal assistance Collection and delivery of collective appeals to management healthcare and government authorities Involving activists and volunteers to participate in socially beneficial and socially significant activities of the MOVEMENT


Proposals Letter from the Ministry of Health of Russia to regional health authorities with a recommendation on the feasibility and usefulness of holding Patient Schools in the regions with the mandatory involvement of professional and patient organizations in their implementation Further improvement of legal regulation: Procedures, Standards, nomenclature of medical regulations, improving the quality of legal technology of departmental regulations, unification Grant, information and resource, administrative and organizational support for socially oriented non-profit organizations in organizing and conducting Patient Schools

In most cases, cancer can be cured, as world practice proves. Russian experience shows something completely different: those who have been diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm have to fight for themselves, defending the state-guaranteed right of every citizen to diagnosis and treatment, including to receive medications, care and care. Nikolai Dronov, chairman of the executive committee of the Movement Against Cancer and member of the board of public organizations for protecting patients' rights under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, spoke in an interview with RIA Novosti correspondent Irina Zubkova about protecting the rights of cancer patients and how to defeat cancer.

— Nikolai Petrovich, what exactly are the rights of cancer patients that need to be protected?


What to do: if you are denied anticancer drugsPublic organizations working with cancer patients receive many complaints that they are denied free medicine. RIA Novosti, as part of the Social Navigator project, has prepared a memo on how to behave if you are denied a recommended antitumor drug.

— Most controversial situations arise due to refusal to provide medications or due to untimely provision of medications. They are provided to people with malignant neoplasms free of charge. But our state declares a lot of things. We need our citizens to understand: nothing is free, someone pays for everything.

In particular, assistance to cancer patients is financed from the budget of the region in which they live - region, territory or republic. The exception is federal cancer centers, where high-tech care is provided: treatment there is covered from the federal budget.

The biggest problem with our healthcare system is the lack of resources. To cure all patients, much more money is needed than we have now. If the budget has, relatively speaking, one hundred thousand rubles for the treatment of cancer patients, and at current prices it is possible to cure twenty people, but two hundred need to be cured, then what will happen? Twenty patients will be provided with the necessary quality treatment. It’s not hard to guess which people will make up the lucky cohort. The rest will either be treated with cheap drugs and use the simplest, most trivial treatment regimens, or they will be told: “Wait, wait in line, the medicine will come soon...” or “Your stage of the disease is not such a terrible one, you can wait for now...”. Patients listen to this kind of comments from healthcare organizers everywhere, with the exception of some relatively prosperous regions.

- Why are they prosperous?

— Firstly, thanks to proper management. Secondly, due to the volume of resources. For example, in the Moscow region, enough funds are allocated for medicines, but from the point of view of providing patients with antitumor drugs, this is the most problematic region. Nowhere else do we receive as many complaints as from the Moscow region. Apparently, there are difficulties with competent coordination of purchases, logistics, and control over the delivery of drugs to patients.

In Moscow, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Samara Region, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, funds are allocated for drugs, and the situation there is more or less favorable. And in most regions there is simply not enough money, so not everyone is prescribed medications. It is not profitable to treat children and the elderly; they are not sources of generating added value - they are “non-labor resources”. Such is economic cynicism. It turns out that the state itself cannot provide for all those in need to the extent that the state guarantees us.

-What are the other problems?

— A lot of complaints are related to the opacity of the functioning of the medical and social examination system. One person with a certain cancer diagnosis is recognized as disabled, and the second, with exactly the same diagnosis, is refused and cannot clearly explain the reason, although they should do so. He tries to complain, writes to all authorities, asks for motivation. However, the whole problem is that we do not have clear medical expert criteria for recognizing a person as disabled; the activities are conducted in a non-transparent manner and there is no clarity.

Oncologist: one of the causes of cancer is stress, depressionTo successfully treat cancer, it is important to detect it as early as possible. The director of the clinic and head of the department of faculty surgery at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Professor Alexander Chernousov, spoke about the problems of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.

In fact, not every cancer patient should be recognized as disabled, unless the disease is in the last stage. Cancer is no longer a death sentence; in the last 15-20 years it has been successfully treated, most patients then return to normal life, to work. But no one explains this to people. Moreover, the financing system is such that locally it is more profitable to recognize a person as disabled: then money for his treatment can be taken from the federal budget - through the Pension Fund. So the more people with disabilities, the easier it is for the regional budget. Therefore, it is more profitable not to treat people properly, but to reduce them to disability.

— Are cancer patients treated in sanatoriums?

— Doctors do not have a consensus on this issue. Cancer patients are not allowed to go to the southern resorts, in the sun, but they can go to the pine forest, and there are many procedures indicated for those recovering. In addition, they need not only medical, but also medical and social rehabilitation, psychological assistance, and assistance in returning to normal life. The system of care for cancer patients needs medical, clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists.

Celebrities who beat cancerFamous Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie underwent a major operation - mastectomy (removal of the breast) to prevent the risk of developing breast cancer.

We, as a public organization, advise patients and their relatives, help to cope with difficult psychological situations that arise in connection with the disease, organize various events for the purpose of moral support, talk about what is currently available to citizens, what are the modern achievements of medical science. We have many examples of successful fight against the disease, people share their life stories. But no institution of civil society can replace the institutions of the state. We have different functions.

The same applies to palliative care. The terminally ill also need to be helped: to relieve pain, alleviate suffering, and organize a decent life. This type of medicine began to appear in our legislation relatively recently, and there are still many problems here. In particular, for unknown reasons, hospices were not included in the palliative care system.

— What to do if a diagnosis is made, but treatment cannot be obtained?

— In such a situation, it is necessary, without delay, to go to the head of the medical institution, to the department or ministry of health of the region, to Roszdravnadzor. In especially difficult cases, appeals to the prosecutor's office or investigative authorities with a requirement to initiate a criminal case can help. Recently, a thirty-year-old girl came to us who was diagnosed with stage three malignant neoplasm of the mammary gland. She asked the gynecologist four times for a referral to an oncologist, but the doctor did not give it. This is not just the height of unprofessionalism, but also an act containing signs of a criminal offense: failure to provide assistance to a patient, inaction.

The main problem is the timing of treatment. Let’s say the diagnosis was made in March, but the regional health budget was approved in September of the previous year, and there is no money allocated for the treatment of a new patient. Why we have such planning is unclear. While the system “sees” the patient, while it includes him in the register, time passes during which he does not receive treatment. All that remains is to write to all authorities and persistently seek hospitalization.

— Can our healthcare help everyone who needs treatment, so that patients do not have to turn to charities?

Anatoly Makhson: “The earlier cancer is detected, the better”Today, Moscow clinics and dispensaries provide patients with every opportunity for examination and early diagnosis of cancer. However, Muscovites do not always exercise their rights, and often doctors begin to treat the disease at a late stage, when the chances of healing are reduced.

- Yes. It’s definitely possible to cure children, the state has money for this, and if this does not happen, then it’s still the same problem of ineffective management of funds. I have always been categorically against collecting money to help the sick. State guarantees should be filled with money, and not people should collect funds for their treatment. True, some say: “I don’t want to be treated here, I want it in Germany.” Now, if a patient can be cured in Russia, but he wants to go abroad, that’s a different matter. The therapeutic result does not depend on the smiles of the doctors, or on the presence of a TV and refrigerator in the room. We also have the necessary medical technologies, but if you want additional services in an Israeli hospital, you have to pay for it. It makes sense to think about voluntary health insurance, so that the diagnosis does not take you by surprise and you do not have to sell your last property in order to recover.

Charitable foundations do great, important work, but the state cannot be replaced.

— What government measures will help cope with cancer?

— To make diagnosis earlier, it is necessary to improve the qualifications and educational level of primary care doctors: therapists, general practitioners, gynecologists, dentists. But the main thing is that citizens need to develop a responsible attitude towards their health. And I think we need financial incentives. A person must pay for an unhealthy lifestyle. Our compulsory medical insurance system is not connected in any way with the person; contributions are paid by employers. But if a smoker, a drinker, paid deductions from his salary twice as much as an ordinary person who does not drink or smoke, then he would probably begin to think about it.

Why don’t our health authorities popularize a healthy lifestyle? Why are sports facilities inaccessible? You can only play sports for money, which not everyone can afford to pay. Why don’t television and other media do anything to create an intolerant attitude towards health risks in society? We have a huge consumption of tobacco in the country and excessive consumption of alcohol. Tobacco smoke is a generally recognized carcinogenic factor. For many years we have been proposing not just to increase excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol, but to use the funds received in a targeted manner to help cancer patients. So far we have not achieved success, but things are moving forward.

We must understand that no one will solve our problems for us. In Tatarstan, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and some other regions, doctors who identified a malignant neoplasm at an early stage were paid incentive bonuses. A very good example, because people in our country don’t care about anything except money. This means that the correct attitude towards health must be formed economically, by developing competent economic incentives for a conscientious attitude towards health, which, in principle, has no price.

The Krasnoyarsk Territory is not the most prosperous region in terms of oncology. The incidence rate is about 400 cases per 100 thousand population, which is higher than the national average. Malignant neoplasms occupy second place in the structure of causes of mortality in the region, second only to diseases of the circulatory system.

AiF-Krasnoyarsk correspondent talked with the chairman of the executive committee of the IPM “Movement Against Cancer” Nikolai Dronov and learned what cancer patients have to face in the struggle for life.

Darling and deadly

Chairman of the executive committee of the International Movement Against Cancer Nikolai Dronov. Photo: AiF

Klim Naimenov “AiF-Krasnoyarsk”: Nikolai Petrovich, you probably remember the case of Krasnoyarsk doctor Alevtina Khorinyak, who was almost imprisoned for prescribing a potent drug to a seriously ill patient. Perhaps she violated the regulations in some way, but she did everything for the benefit of the patient. Why has the law shown such blindness?

Nikolay Dronov: The case became one of the key catalysts in finding a solution to the problem of access to painkillers for needy citizens. This loud story was heard throughout the country. Khori-nyak later took part in the all-Russian forum “For Affordable Quality of Medicine” in September last year and spoke about the situation. The President of Russia was at the forum, so appropriate instructions were given. And things have really moved forward - now this is no longer such an acute problem as it was, say, two years ago.

- Not as acute, but still a problem...

Lack of resources is our objective difficulty. Oncology is an expensive branch of medicine, with expensive drugs. There are, of course, more expensive ones, this applies to rare diseases. But there is objectively not enough money. Here we need to look for systematic ways to solve the problem. Over the past few years, during monitoring, we have not received any complaints from cancer patients from the Krasnoyarsk Territory. But in the spring of this year, we received a signal that we are still investigating.

The drug supply service of the regional Ministry of Health does not want to comply with the decision of the medical commission and purchase the drug for a specific patient. A young woman, a mother of two children, suffers from a malignant tumor. She is shown an expensive, but effective, innovative drug. The head of the department was stubborn: we won’t buy - and that’s it, it’s too expensive. You have a good material and technical base in the region, and one of the best oncology services in the country. But this particular case, when the patient cannot be provided with the necessary medicine, is a very alarming symptom. I know that such cases exist for other diseases. It is highly likely that we can assume that, unfortunately, the number of such requests will increase. But people should not make their health and life dependent on the presence or absence of money from the state. Moreover, it also provided guarantees that the person would be treated at the expense of budgets and compulsory health insurance funds.

A cancer patient has no time to wait for budget adjustments. Photo: AiF/ Photo: Ekaterina Saenko

Isn't that what they're saving on?

- If we talk about a systemic solution to the problem, what could it be?

We, as a public organization, for our part, can advise not to give up. You need to know your rights. There are many cases where a patient is not given the right drug in all regions. The reason is the same everywhere - lack of money among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which by law are responsible for oncological care. We see two solutions: reducing non-targeted, non-primary expenses and searching for new sources of income.

Faced with misfortune, people are forced to sell their apartments. Photo: AiF/ Photo: Alexander Firsov

- Take another step towards paid medicine?

We are talking about the introduction of voluntary insurance institutions, risk insurance against critical illnesses. So that citizens, faced with misfortune, are not forced to sell their apartments. But many people have nothing to sell. It's terrible when a person's life depends on money.

How do you monitor the drug situation in the country? How is feedback built with patients?

We have a program to monitor the availability of drugs; this is our public initiative. We are always open to requests and consider each one. A typical situation when we are faced with elementary replies from officials. In this case, we end up in court. But the worst thing is that all this takes time, because there are procedural deadlines for considering the case. But our patients, unfortunately, cannot wait... And everyone has their own truth. The patient’s task is to get well, the doctor’s task is to treat, the official’s task is to save money. Of course, the Ministry of Health’s circle of concerns includes not only cancer patients. And they think about how to cut this money, which is always in short supply, among everyone. But when making such decisions, public health managers must weigh the pros and cons and take into account the balance of interests. Simply put, look not at the cost of the medicine, but at whether it can really help, how effective it is in general. And in the end, is it even possible to compare the price of pills with the value of an active citizen returned to life? The worst thing is to imagine that, say, the head of the pharmaceutical department is sitting and deciding: this one is already old, he will die anyway, this one is completely unknown, but that’s why there was a call from above, he needs to be given.

Right to life

- Is there a certain algorithm of action for a patient who believes that his rights have been violated?

If a person is unable to obtain medicine at a pharmacy, he must ensure that his prescription is put on deferred service. In this case, it must be provided within a maximum of fifteen days. If this does not happen, you must submit applications to the territorial bodies of Roszdravnadzor. It is better to do this in writing and send it by registered mail with acknowledgment so that you have proof of service of the complaint. All government agencies’ websites have a “Feedback” section; it also makes sense to write there. We must also remember that we are all insured in the compulsory health insurance system as citizens of the Russian Federation. Accordingly, the organization that issued you the policy is also obliged to protect your rights.

By the way, work is currently underway in Russia to introduce the institution of insurance attorneys. And here you can pay a compliment to the Krasnoyarsk Territory. I visited one of the city clinics and was pleased to find a quality control post for medical care, where a representative of the insurance company helps patients resolve various issues. There are public organizations like ours. They are, as a rule, represented in all advisory and consultative bodies under the Ministry of Health. That's why they have their weight. As practice shows, we manage to help the majority of those who contact us. Well, as a final argument, there is the prosecutor’s office and the court.

Nikolay Dronov was born in Moscow in 1973. Graduated from Moscow State Law University named after O. E. Kutafin. Chairman of the executive committee of the IPM "Movement against Cancer", member of the Council of public organizations for the protection of patients' rights under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

13.02.2014

Nikolai Petrovich Dronov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the IPM “Movement Against Cancer”, Member of the Council of Public Organizations for the Protection of Patients’ Rights under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation

Information feed:
suicide attempt of Rear Admiral Apanasenko due to lack of painkillers

Expert comment:
The situation with palliative care and pain relief for incurable patients in Russia is very difficult: according to Elena Telnova, a professor at the National Research Institute of Public Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, the volume of analgesics supplied to pharmacies is only 4% of the need in the country as a whole and 10% in Moscow. The position of the Movement Against Cancer on the issue of accessibility of painkillers completely coincides with the position of the medical community and other patient organizations. It is based on the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation,” which declares the patient’s right “to relief of pain associated with a disease and (or) medical intervention, available methods and medications.” It is enshrined at the legislative level that an incurable patient should not die in agony. But, as Anatoly Makhson, chief oncologist of the Moscow Department of Health, said at the “Movement Against Cancer” Forum, “our medicine has fallen into the sphere of illegal drug trafficking.” And now the entire medical community and patient organizations are embroiled in a difficult process of “interaction” with the Federal Drug Trafficking Service, when they have to defend the right of every patient to palliative care and the doctor’s right to provide this care. So, just since the beginning of 2014, the IPM “Movement Against Cancer” has already received over 20 appeals from citizens whose legal right to pain relief was violated. In our country there are many examples of “excessive” legal regulation (instead of rational), but cases of “excessive” control over drugs that an incurable patient receives lead to the fact that a person is put in a hopeless situation, as in the case of Rear Admiral Apanasenko.

Issues related to the accessibility of cancer care are acute in all Russian regions. The “Main Road” project helps to understand them and bring them to the federal level.

One of its participants is the chairman of the executive committee of the International Movement Against Cancer, member of the public council under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Nikolai Dronov.

At risk

Larisa Shcherbinina, AiF. Health”: Nikolai Petrovich, when and why did the “Main Road” project appear?

This is a national non-profit project. It started in February last year. Our regiment includes experts in various fields of medicine. Everyone, one way or another, studies issues related to non-communicable diseases, in particular cancer. Malignant neoplasms are the second leading cause of death in Russia and the world. This is a very serious social and demographic problem, since people of working age are at risk. They are the human capital of the state. We come to Russian regions to discuss local problems at a round table with representatives of government and public organizations. We assist in the development of “road maps” for the development of regional healthcare. Our experts help you understand some legal aspects and discuss issues of access to cancer care. After all, not all problems can be solved at the local level.

- What can you say about the conferences that have already been held in a number of Russian cities?

It is gratifying that such meetings are not formal. Often qualified personnel take part in them, raising truly pressing, unimagined questions. As a rule, we see that people have a need to receive advice, methodological and legal assistance. Some wishes are addressed specifically to federal structures.

We do not expect immediate results from such meetings. After all, the difficulties of the healthcare system are primarily related to the general economic level of development of the country. Despite the fact that over the past 7-8 years colossal funds have been allocated for the implementation of a number of federal priority projects in the field of health protection. Such money was not allocated either during the times of Imperial Russia or during the Soviet years.

But today we see that problems common to the entire country remain. First of all, they relate to the lack of resources for the development of the industry, the low quality of management personnel and the rehabilitation of patients.

- It’s not surprising that Russians are trying to go to Europe for treatment...

The opinion that Europe is better is a propaganda cliche. It’s probably better there in some moral and ethical terms, in terms of service culture. And our technologies and specialists are not lagging behind.

Bureaucratic carousel

Nikolai Petrovich, you deal with legal issues in the non-profit partnership “Equal Right to Life” and in the public organization “Movement Against Cancer”. What complaints do you receive most often?

Letters and calls are somewhat similar for all Russian citizens. I will give just a few examples. A person is prescribed a certain drug. But it is expensive, and in order to save money, it is prescribed a cheaper, but less effective one. Or the patient has already been prescribed a medicine, but he cannot get it at the pharmacy, since it was not purchased by the regional health authority... Patients complain to higher authorities, the issue is “taken under control.” The so-called bureaucratic merry-go-round wastes time so much that sometimes it is too late to treat.

There are many cases of blasphemous attitude towards patients. The district doctor, suspecting a malignant tumor in the patient’s lungs, referred him to the regional hospital to a pulmonologist, and not to an oncologist. Although in this case he should have been sent to the regional oncology clinic. Apparently, the calculation was that people with such a disease would not live long.

Some are faced with the problem of providing medications due to the fact that, being on disability, they refused the social package. We always recommend our patients not to do this. After all, the 900 rubles they will receive in exchange for medicine will never solve their cancer problems. But such a replacement is very beneficial for the state: they say, they gave money and don’t owe anything.

- As far as I understand, the topic of providing medications to patients is very pressing today?

The provision of complete medicines throughout the country ranges from 10 to 70%. Excluding donor regions. This is a national problem: we do not have enough high-quality domestic medicines, and foreign ones are insanely expensive.

Russian legislation assumes that all specialized assistance is an expense obligation of the regions. But everyone’s resource capabilities are different. It happens that doctors refuse adequate modern treatment due to scarcity of funding. Let’s say the regional budget includes 200 thousand rubles for the treatment of cancer. In reality, they are only enough for 20 people, but 100 need treatment! And then the balancing act begins - the search for “socially significant” patients. First of all, they serve those who have connections and acquaintances. The likes of some woman Frosa, who is aged and for whom no one asked for anything, recede into the background...

Don't sit back

- I wonder which regions complain the most?

Half of the requests last year were from residents of the Moscow region. In general, residents of the Central Federal District complain less than, for example, citizens from the southern regions or the Volga region. But this does not mean that everything is fine with them. People sincerely believe that if they do not complain, they will be treated. It's an illusion. If human rights are violated, they will be violated no matter what. Practice shows that in 3 out of 4 cases the applicants are right. And 70-75% of those whose rights are violated still receive support - funds are immediately available. But sitting quietly and waiting in silence is not the way to salvation. You need to more actively defend your rights, but, of course, do this with reason.

- Is it still possible to defeat cancer in our time?

This is not a death sentence, it is a chronic disease - the same as diabetes. Taking into account the technologies available today, if diagnosed in time and treated correctly, a person can be maintained in a stage of stable remission for a very long time.

But under no circumstances should you listen to those who offer unconventional methods of treatment. It is very important not to lose your mind and consult a doctor first.