Three TB patients died this year in Karachai-Circassia

The phthisiology service in Karachai-Circassia is in a pitiable condition. It is recognized by Khusei Kurdanov, Minister of Public Health. He marks that conditions in the republic's TB clinic are below all sanitary standards.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that from the start of 2010 the TB Dispensary saw three fatal outcomes in tuberculosis patients.

"Our phthisiology service is indeed in a very poor condition. Early last year we invited experts from the Russian Ministry of Public Health, who carefully studied the situation. The conditions at the today's republic's TB Dispensary are below all sanitary and other standards; besides it is located in the central city; and we have to think of how to solve this problem," Minister Kurdanov said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Meanwhile, construction of the TB polyclinic began back in 1999; however, the three-storey building was commissioned only on the eve of the New Year. It so happened that the new building of the polyclinic, which was in construction for ten years, is also not far from the centre of Cherkessk.

According to Smail Bairamukov, chief physician of the republic's TB Dispensary, the new building has no furniture, medical and treatment equipment.

The building has no heating, the water supply system was not yet tested, and electricity was not connected also; the new long-awaited building cannot be used yet.

Today the patients, treated in the conditions of the old hospital, asked not to make photos of them, saying that later they won't be able to go to work or address anywhere. According to their story, patients with different TB forms are separated by just cloth partitions, "in order not to breathe into each other's face." Heating is present not in all rooms, and cold spreads from old wooden windows.

Meanwhile, as the chief physician said, from time to time he meets his patients with the open form of TB working in public places. "Once I took a taxi and saw one of my patients working as a driver. It's very difficult to monitor the process in the republic, but I think it should be done for sure, as many people can be infected; and it will happen far from the specialized TB institution," said Mr Bairamukov.