In St. Petersburg, the investigation of the death of people during the examination of the stomach in GBUZ “GKDTS No. 1” continues. The head physician and his subordinates have been charged and face up to 10 years in prison.

The Main Investigation Department of the ICR in St. Petersburg charged 42-year-old Evgeny Popov, the head physician of the city state budgetary healthcare institution “City Consultative and Diagnostic Center No. 1” (GBUZ “GKDTS No. 1”), located on Siqueiros Street, as well as two of his subordinates . Doctors are charged with causing death by negligence (part 3 of article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and the provision of services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life and health of consumers (part 3 of article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Under both articles, they face up to 10 years in prison.

Evgeny Popov. Photo © vk.com/Nadezhda Sigitova

According to investigators, from January 24 to January 26, six St. Petersburg residents in serious condition with signs of poisoning were taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital. Botkin. Patients complained of severe pain in the stomach. The day before, all the victims underwent gastroscopy and used a special solution at GKDC No. 1. For example, the 42-year-old driver of a transport company, Alexei, went to the center for an examination, drank a third of a glass of the solution – and his eyes immediately went dark. Doctors convinced the unfortunate man that this was a normal reaction and that it was necessary to drink everything to the end. After the examination, Alexei ended up in intensive care, where he soon died of poisoning. Two more patients died in intensive care within a few hours. Then four more. Later it turned out that the cause of death was poisoning with barium salts. Now in the criminal case seven dead and 23 injured.

The head physician of the GKDC No. 1 was arrested on the night of January 28 amid a flaring scandal. He did not admit guilt. According to investigators, it was Popov who approved the purchase of the substance (barium sulfate 0.10 (H2O)%), which led to the death of patients. Popov asked to be sent under house arrest, but the court did not take into account the fact that the head physician had a minor child and took him into custody. The judge took into account the arguments of the investigation that the head physician could destroy evidence and put pressure on witnesses.

Yesterday, the court sent Yulia Medvedeva, head of the radiology department, under arrest. The investigation believes that, being a qualified doctor, Medvedeva knew for certain that the purchased drug was not medical, but allowed it for examinations. Medvedev herself admitted her guilt only partially. According to her explanations, there is a special department in the clinic for purchases, to which she allegedly has nothing to do.

A Life source in medical circles explained that the application for medicines and the terms of reference for the purchase are usually completed by the head nurse of the institution, and the head physician then signs. It is interesting that today a certain nurse was released on bail, whose name is not known. Most likely, it was she who entered into a pre-trial agreement and testified against the authorities, which formed the basis of the accusation.

Where is the mistake?

By itself, barium sulfate used for gastroscopy is not a toxic substance, since it does not dissolve in water, is not absorbed into the blood and leaves the body naturally. However, for this, the reagent must comply with certain medical standards, the violation of which is fraught with serious consequences, since some barium salts are still soluble, and barium itself is quite toxic. The state register of medicines lists barium sulfate or barium sulfate for fluoroscopy. It has the same chemical formula as barium sulphate (BaSO4), which is used in the industrial production of varnishes, pastes, glass etching and lead batteries.

Investigators do not rule out that GKDC No. 1 purchased industrial barium sulphate from Nevareaktiv LLC, a major supplier with an annual turnover of 360 million rubles. This substance is not included in the state register of medicines, despite the fact that the reagent is labeled as “pure”. An inexperienced employee might have the feeling that the drug is also suitable for medical work.

In the company’s Instagram account, a passport of this drug was published with a conclusion on compliance with GOST. Arkady Kamchatov, director of Nevareaktiv LLC, explained that the barium sulphate he sells is intended for production and analytical purposes, and not for fluoroscopy. According to Kamchatov, the contract with the medical institution allegedly did not state that the supplied barium would be used for medical purposes. The substance is still sold on the company’s website, the price is 505 rubles per 100 grams.

Photo © instagram.com/nevareakti

It is possible that the error occurred at the stage of the formation of the terms of reference for the purchase. Or someone wants to save money. The price of barium sulfate for gastroscopy is much higher. On pharmacy sites, the approximate price for 80 grams of the substance is 1300 rubles. According to Life’s source, the barium sulphate sold by Nevareaktiv LLC could have been produced at the L.Ya. Karpov in Tatarstan.

Who is Evgeny Popov?

Evgeny Popov, 42, is in good standing with the City Health Committee. Studied medicine at the Military Medical Academy. CM. Kirov. He graduated with honors with a specialization in oncology. He has a PhD in Medical Sciences. In 2020, he made it to the finals of the All-Russian competition “Leaders of Russia” in the category “Healthcare”.

Colleagues note Popov’s high professionalism, ability to negotiate and other positive qualities. He took the chair of the head physician in May 2019, and under him the amount of public purchases increased significantly, which may be the result of the center’s cooperation with the city Health Committee.

According to the SPARK database, in the 2000s Popov tried his hand at business. He was a co-owner of two companies – Garant LLC and Kometa LLC, as well as the general director of S-COM LLC. Today these companies either do not operate or are on the verge of bankruptcy. At the same time, Popov has a reputation for being unmercenary. He is still registered in a small odnushka on Kupchinskaya Street. Until recently, I drove a budget Nissan Qashqai SUV.

Now he must bear responsibility for the death of seven patients. The surviving victims are preparing lawsuits for the clinic. It is possible that more criminal cases will soon be initiated: at present, the St. Petersburg Health Committee is also checking other medical institutions where toxic barium sulfate could be used.

life.ru