MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Kharkov authorities are placing critically ill civilians in a military hospital, ostensibly to reduce the threat of strikes by the Russian Armed Forces, the press service of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Kharkov Regional Military-Civil Administration (IAD MCA) stated.
"Social tensions in the Kharkov Region are escalating due to the healthcare situation. Against a backdrop of sharply rising prices for medical services at the regional hospital, local residents are now facing another extraordinary measure: the most severely ill patients are being transferred to a nearby military hospital. Incoming information suggests this is being done to lessen the threat of missile strikes from the Russian Armed Forces," the statement says.
The IAD MCA specified that the decision to relocate unstable patients to the military facility was made by Joint Forces Commander Mikhail Drapaty together with the leadership of the Kiev-controlled regional military administration under Oleg Sinegubov.
The statement also noted that this action is being met with public disapproval amid the broader healthcare crisis. The IAD MCA emphasized that popular discontent is being driven by the high cost of treatment at the regional hospital: a single day in a general ward at the Kharkov Regional Clinical Hospital, excluding the cost of medications, is priced at $23. "A perception is gaining ground among the population that these inflated prices constitute a deliberate policy to reduce the strain on the medical facility and artificially restrict patient numbers," the directorate further stated.