It's a mockery! Voronezh clinic ramp leads to stairs

In response to a complaint from a wheelchair user who broke his legs due to ice, officials reported creating an "accessible environment."

Jan 23, 2026

A photo provided by the ministry shows the newly installed ramp at the rear of the clinic.
Source:
Ministry of Health of Voronezh Region

After the publication of the story of Voronezh resident Vitaly, who broke his legs falling from his wheelchair on an icy ramp and stated that for 15 years he has been unable to enter his clinic No. 9, Voronezh1.ru sent a request to the regional Ministry of Health regarding the accessibility of the medical facility for disabled people. Previously, the man said that even after a major renovation of the building on Perevertkina Street, there is no accessible entrance for wheelchair users.

The ramp ends at a stairwell, preventing wheelchair access to the clinic«s interior.
Source:
from Vitaly«s personal archive

The department informed us that in 2024, the clinic«s entrance areas were indeed renovated.

The central entrance with lobby and registration remains out of reach for disabled patients.
Source:
from Vitaly«s personal archive

«Including the installation of a ramp at the rear of the clinic for people with limited mobility,» it is stated in the response, to which a photo of the structure was attached.

Also, the ministry noted that from 7:45 to 20:00, the building has an elevator operating, and to assist patients with limited mobility, there are an emergency department and a palliative care office, whose doctors make home visits.

However, the response did not mention a key detail that our editorial team discovered. The provided ramp, contrary to the claims, does not lead into the clinic building but ends at a stairwell. That is, a person in a wheelchair can ride up the ramp into a small vestibule, but further access into the institution is blocked by steps. The central entrance with the lobby, registration desk, and elevator remains inaccessible to them.

«Yes, they built a ramp, but the ramp leads to a corridor at the stairwell. It»s a mockery,« says Vitaly, and it»s hard to disagree with him. — «And here they made the central entrance. It leads to the lobby where there is registration, an elevator, and so on.»

Thus, the «installed» ramp does not solve the accessibility problem but only simulates its solution. Patients in wheelchairs still physically cannot independently enter the clinic for scheduled appointments, tests, or obtaining certificates.

And to the officials who reported on the accessible environment at clinic No. 9 in Voronezh, we suggest sitting in a wheelchair at least for a while and trying to reach the registration desk of this very clinic.