Governor Seredyuk to review public councils, says many 'just for show'

Governor Ilya Seredyuk intends to check the effectiveness of public councils in Kuzbass institutions. During a meeting on the situation at a Prokopyevsk care home on Friday, 30 January, he stated that such cases could be avoided if such organizations worked conscientiously.

Moreover, he intends to create a separate public council under the governor so that people have direct access to the head of the region and can immediately report on what is happening in institutions. According to Seredyuk, information from department heads sometimes reaches him incomplete or distorted.

Also, a separate hotline will be opened for healthcare workers where violations can be reported directly.

In the politician«s opinion, the importance of public councils lies in an independent view on the work of state departments and problem analysis. Furthermore, public representatives should develop proposals to improve the work of employees, and successful experience needs to be implemented in other organizations.

“Some public councils may work effectively, meet and go on inspections often, while others are created just for show,” said Seredyuk.

In the near future, he intends to create a list of such associations and then analyze their activities.

A public council is an advisory and consultative body created under state departments, institutions, or local self-government bodies. They serve as a conduit between authorities and society and should monitor the protection of ordinary citizens« interests.

Over the past month, at the Prokopyevsk care home for people with mental illnesses, 64 people fell ill and nine died. Online information emerged that the residents were beaten, kept on chains, and fed rotten food. After death, the residents were buried in a secret cemetery beyond the institution«s fence right in the forest. Everything known about this has been compiled into a separate story.