Free surgeries raise problem of doctors' shortage in Chechnya

Foreign surgeons carry out charitable operations in Chechnya because of the shortage of local specialists. This opinion was voiced by Chechen doctors.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that during their five days in Grozny, ophthalmologists from Turkey, who arrived in Grozny on October 30, consulted more than 1000 people and conducted 120 surgeries. And in May, plastic surgeons from Russia, the United States, and Great Britain carried out free surgeries for 60 Chechen children with maxillofacial pathologies as part of the Operation Smile charitable action.

The organization of such charitable actions with involvement of foreign specialists was called a compulsory measure by local doctors.

"The fact is that we do not have enough qualified specialists in certain areas in the republic. That can be said about the spheres of ophthalmology, plastic surgery, oncology, etc. Therefore, we have to attract specialists from outside and organize various charitable actions," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was explained by a physician-therapist from one of the Grozny hospitals.

In recent years, the health care sphere has given a lot of attention at our place, but there is a shortage of qualified specialists, said Madina, a medical officer.

"For example, the oncology dispensary of the republican hospital has got modern equipment installed, and there are opportunities to carry out quite complex surgeries. However, we need qualified specialists who can work on the above equipment," Madina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.