Volgograd Woman Dies After Being Shuttled Between Hospitals

In Volgograd, a 64-year-old woman with breathing attacks was sent from one hospital to another until her condition sharply worsened. According to her brother, when she was already in critical condition, she was admitted to Hospital No. 5, but then, without his knowledge, she was sent to the regional hospital on Angarskaya Street, where they initially refused to hospitalize her. Ultimately, the active resident of Rudnya, who was particularly concerned about medical issues in her home district, died in the intensive care unit.

«Worsening Health After Son’s Death»

As the deceased«s brother Alexander told V1.RU, her health problems began in April, after the death of her only son from a heart attack. Then Olga began actively seeking treatment, going for examinations, but doctors said she was fine.

“She had weakness, her eyelids were closing, she couldn«t raise her hands, couldn»t dress herself or take a pill on her own. She was also tormented by spasms. She was breathing heavily. From August to October, she lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds). She couldn«t eat. But no one understood what was wrong with her. Doctors said all indicators for her age were normal. They said it was all due to nerves,” the man recounts.

«The Doctor Saw It All…»

According to Alexander, at the Rudnyanskaya Central District Hospital (Rudnyanskaya TsRB), Olga was given a referral to a neurologist at the regional clinical hospital No. 1. There, as the man says, she arrived almost without strength.

“She stayed overnight with a relative in Volzhsky. In the morning she got up—and she felt bad again. She took a taxi to the regional hospital, we went to see the neurologist. This was on November 7,” the man recounts, “She went into the office, I stayed in the corridor. My sister comes out, says we need to go to the ‘obkomovskaya’ hospital (clinical hospital No. 3, ed.). I say: ‘Why?’ I didn«t think to ask the doctor myself why they were sending us there. We thought, maybe they have some agreement, who knows.”

But at clinical hospital No. 3, according to Alexander, they refused to admit them.

“We trudged there,” the man recounts. “We barely made it to the tram, she«s walking barely, her breathing constantly catching, she speaks through her nose, with such panting, speech flowing. The doctor saw all this… We came to the ‘obkomovskaya’, and they say: ‘Who sent you? We don»t accept patients on Fridays. Only for a fee can we accept.’ Where to go. We went to relatives« apartment. And she says to me: ‘I can»t take it anymore, I don«t want to live like this.’ She was in incredible despair…”

«They Found Her Red, Blue…»

As the man recalls, on the morning of November 8, his sister felt bad again. An ambulance was called for the woman and she was taken to Hospital No. 5 in the Krasnooktyabrsky District. There, she had a respiratory arrest.

“I sat her on a gurney, she«s barely sitting, answering somehow. They ask us: ‘Why didn»t they admit you to the regional hospital?’ Are you asking me? They put her in a room, set up an IV. I ran to get everything necessary. She sat like a doll… I always had this thought: how could the doctor not admit her immediately, he saw her condition. I left her, and she says before I left: ‘Let me hug you.’ We hugged… I say: ‘Ol, I«ll come tomorrow morning.’ She asked me to bring semolina porridge with water and jelly,” says Alexander. “In the morning I come to her, and she»s not in the room. Two women were lying there. They said that today Olya tried to have breakfast, felt bad, went for nurses, they came running, and she«s lying there all red, blue, they picked her up and took her to intensive care. She had a respiratory arrest. The next day she came to, but was on a ventilator.”

«Olga Nikolaevna Died at 7:10»

On November 13, as Alexander says, for some reason his sister was transferred from Hospital No. 5 back to the regional clinical hospital No. 1, although no one told him about it.

“She calls me in the morning, says barely audibly: ‘Sash, I«m in the regional hospital now, they transferred me here.’ A medic took the phone, said they»re putting her in intensive care now. I flew there. They said she«s on a ventilator but conscious, when they transfer her to a room, she»ll call. I went home,” the man recalls.

In the morning, Alexander went to the hospital again to find out Olga«s condition. But Olga was already dead.

“I went there, and the doctor says to me: ‘Didn«t your niece call you? Olga Nikolaevna died at 7:10.’ How did she die…,” asks Alexander. “I asked how, what, they all shrug their hands, say: ‘Well, this can»t be treated. Not here, not abroad. It«s only supportive therapy. Well, what about supportive? Then why did they send her? We»re in shock, of course, from such an attitude. After all, they could have admitted her immediately, helped. And we went back and forth, dragged her, such a load.’”

According to Alexander, the death certificate states that Olga died from acute respiratory failure. It also notes that the woman had it congenitally.

Olga Plotnikova was buried the day before in Rudnya. Local residents note that she was an activist and particularly worried about problems in the Rudnyanskaya Central District Hospital.

“She always worried about the work of our hospital, actively participated in the work of the Central District Hospital«s public council and died while waiting for medical help for herself,” wrote Rudnya activists. “This once again proves that we need to achieve proper provision of services at the place of residence, and not crowd in the corridors of distant regional clinics. And emergency evacuation by medical helicopter should be in Rudnya not tomorrow or the day after, but already yesterday. We look so calmly at the inaction of the authorities—it won»t affect me…”

In the press service of the Volgograd Region governor«s office, in response to V1.RU»s inquiry, they stated that the regional health department will check the stated facts. But only if the brother of the deceased woman files an application himself.

“We also ask the applicant—the legal representative to send a written appeal to the address of the health committee. After the application is received, an inspection will be conducted within the framework of departmental control of the quality of medical care and an official response will be provided,” clarified the regional health department.

Earlier we wrote about the acute shortage of doctors in the Rudnyanskaya Central District Hospital. Because of this, patients are transported to other districts, Zhirnovsk and Kamyshin. Officials categorically denied this information.