30 July 2007, 14:05
"Novaya Gazeta": haemodialysis equipment delivered to Ingushetia after а a hunger strike of patients
Five new haemodialysis installations have been delivered to the republican hospital in Nazran. In order to get this, patients had to give up food and treatment for two days, reports "Novaya Gazeta".
The patients addressed all existing instances, including the health department of Ingushetia. After two months of futile complaints and letters they announced a permanent hunger strike. 16 out of 35 patients in the hospital gave up food and treatment procedures and medicines. They demanded that minimum 10 haemodialysis installations and medicines be brought to the hospital.
The hunger strike had to be stopped on Thursday: according to Radimkhan Zanghiyeva, a hospital patient, after several more hours without food and medicines it would be impossible to save the patients, reports the newspaper.
No one tried to interfere with the patients' hunger strike. A lot of functionaries visited the hospital, including Magomet Aliskhanov, Ingushetia Minister of Health, who claimed that no kidney machines were available due to financial problems. Following this, he stated in his address by the federal TV channel and in the Ministry's official press-release that there was no hunger strike in Nazran.
It was only on Saturday, July 28, when videos covering the hunger strike had been shown on TV and described in newspapers that Aliskhanov ordered five haemodialysis installations to be brought to the republican hospital.
