EXCLUSIVE: I have been given a copy of document issued today by Russian Ministry of Health. It indicates Russia is anticipating a massive medical emergency & has ordered health organisations to immediately identify medical staff ready to relocate & work.
The document from Russian Ministry of Health is signed by deputy health minister and dated today 25 February. It asks medical organisations to be ready ‘to be promptly involved in activities aimed at saving lives & preserving the health of people in Russia.’
Russian medical institutions have been ordered by Health Ministry to send a list no later than 18:00 (90 mins ago) to deputy health minister of ‘medical specialists and medical workers…indicating their full name, place of work, positions & contact details.’
The document from the Russian Ministry of Health makes it clear these medics will be deployed somewhere as ‘reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses, as well as payment of labour is expected from funds from the Federal Centre of Medical Disasters.’
The letter has a long list of medics it is looking for: trauma, heart, maxillofacial and paediatric surgeons, anaesthetists, radiologists, nurses (including for operating room) and infectious disease specialists.
Document from Ministry of Health shows Russia is clearly preparing for a major medical event where doctors have to be drafted from across the country. The letter is signed by Deputy Health Minister Plutnitsky.
This order from Russian Ministry of Health has been issued as Russian forces attempt to advance on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine.
I understand doctors were gathered together yesterday and told to ‘get ready.’ Today, the document from the Russian Health Ministry arrived. I am told this is highly unusual and almost unprecedented.
A Ukrainian military official has just told me this document could indicate medics are being drafted to assist with casualties from Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The official said one reading of the document is that Russia did not expect a level of resistance from Ukraine.
This would tally with reports from a senior US defence official who said today ‘there is greater resistance by Ukrainians than the Russians expected,’ and that Russia is not moving on Kyiv as fast as they anticipated and that Russia may have lost a ‘little bit of their momentum.’
Exclusive Russian Ministry of Health document indicates how Russia is preparing for an event with mass casualties & is calling up doctors, inc trauma surgeons. Ukraine military official believes it may suggest Russia has met resistance in Ukraine assault. itv.com/news/2022-02-2…
This document does not refer to Ukraine and references ‘saving lives...in Russia.' I have asked Russian officials if it is true Russia is preparing for a mass casualty event and if this is because Russia has met more resistance than anticipated in Ukraine. Waiting for response.
Ukrainian military official told me they think the document 'clearly demonstrates Russians didn't expect to face such a level of resistance & losses. They wanted to make a blitzkrieg operation & should have finished it by now, but they are still far from achieving their goals.'
Expressing concern, the Ukrainian military official told me one interpretation of the document issued to medical organisations by the Russian Ministry of Health could be that 'Putin has the intention to go until the end, despite huge losses of personnel.'
Despite the strength of international sanctions, there is concern that they will not deter President Putin from invading Ukraine. The preparations by Russia to recruit medical staff are being interpreted as a sign that this conflict could be very bloody.
UPDATE: Two Russian doctors have confirmed they have seen a copy of this document. The Ministry of Health document given to me indicates Russia is preparing for a mass casualty event and is asking medics including trauma, heart and face surgeons to register their details urgently
EXCLUSIVE: Russian doctors ordered to form 'special brigades' to deal with casualties after receiving orders ‘to work under a special regime,’ a doctor has told me @itvnews. Today I also understand doctors have been sent to Rostov region, bordering Ukraine itv.com/news/2022-03-0…
On 25th February I reported on a doc which said Russia's Ministry of Health was preparing for a massive medical emergency. It asked medical institutions to identify trauma medics ready to relocate. 3 Russian doctors confirmed they have seen a copy of it.
On the 22nd February according to a Russian doctor, hospitals received a document cancelling holidays for senior staff & ordering all staff to work 'under a special regime' of a heightened state of readiness.
I’m told document dated 22nd February was sent to hospitals which have research ties to Russian government & which have previously dealt with war casualties from Donbass and Syria. Doc is dated 2 days before Putin ordered invasion of Ukraine & a day after he slammed USSR collapse
On 1st March, on one hospital's daily morning zoom call, medics were apparently given a message by hospital management.
'They told us, "we order everyone to work under a special regime."' They said that… everyone should be ready,' the doctor said.
The doctor says medics were told, 'we need to create special brigades. Some are specialists - surgeons, haematologists - others are general. They [hospital management] said there should be brigades where people are contactable at all times and are ready to go at any moment.'
The doctor said, 'we were told they could send us anywhere. Maybe Moscow, maybe to other regions. No one asked questions, because everyone knows where they will be going…These stories are familiar - previously people went to Syria, now they’re going to deal with Ukraine.'
Some hospitals are asking docs to backfill shifts because medics have apparently already been sent away to work. A message says 'Dear Doctors! We have an amazing opportunity to fill in for X who is on an urgent business trip. We need willing people for a vacant shift on March X’
The call for some doctors to help treat victims of the war in Ukraine has been so sudden that I have been told of medical staff rushing in to say goodbye to colleagues before being taken straight from work towards the frontlines to deal with casualties.
Today for the first time Russia Defence Ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov provided numbers of men killed since Russia invaded Ukraine last week. Konashenkov said 498 people had died ‘in the line of duty’ & 1597 servicemen were injured.
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