News

Nicolay Dronov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of interregional public movement “Movement Against Cancer”, member of the Council of public organizations for the protection of patients' rights under the Russian Ministry of Health

17.02.2014

Newsbreak:
Suicide committed by Rear-Admiral Vyacheslav Apanasenko because of absence of pain-reliever

Expert commentary:

In Russia, the situation with palliative care and pain relief for incurably-ill patients the situation is very severe: according to Elena Telnova, professor of the National Institute of Public Health of RAMS, the supply of analgesics to pharmacies covers only 4% of the national demand and only 10% of that in Moscow. Position of IPM Movement Against Cancer on the problem of availability of pain medications fully coincides with the medical community position of and the position of other patient organizations. It is based on the Federal Law titled “On the basis of health protection in the Russian Federation” that declares the right of patients for “relief of pain associated with the disease and (or) medical intervention, using available methods and drugs.” Our law stipulates that terminally ill patients should not die in agony. However, as Anatoly Mahson, chief oncologist of the Moscow Department of Health, said from the podium of the annual Movement Against Cancer Forum, ‘our medicine fell into the sphere of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs.’ And now, all medical community and patients organizations are involved in a difficult process of interaction with the Federal Drug Control Service, when they have to defend every patient’s right to palliative care and the right of doctors to provide such care. For example, since the start of the year, IPM Movement Against Cancer has already received more than 20 complaints of citizens whose legitimate right to pain relief was violated. In our country, we have many examples of "excessive legal regulation" (as opposed to rational one), but when it comes to excessive control over drugs intended for incurably-ill patients, it can lead a patient to a blind alley, as in the case with Rear Admiral Apanasenko.