HIV-Positive Patients at Lavra Clinic Handcuff Themselves to Bed

Patients handcuffed themselves to a bed in a clinic near the Kyiv Cave Monastery, Ukrayinska Pravda: Zhyttia reports, with reference to the patient organization YuKAB.

The reason for the patients' action is to stop the attempt to forcibly move them to an unsuitable building.

President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) of Ukraine Andriy Serdiuk, who patients previously accused of ill-treating them, is using administrative resources and making every effort to forcefully move the clinic to an inadequate building on Halytska Street, reads the statement.

Thus all the previous agreements in respect to a smooth and adequate relocation of the clinic are being ignored, explained the patients.

These arrangements were set out in a memorandum, which was signed on July 11 of this year by NAMS Ukraine with patients of the clinic and representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

“Patients will remain in the hospital until Serdiuk’s orders will be canceled and until the new clinic building at 5 Amosova Street in Kyiv is ready to open as a fully functional hospital,” reads the statement of YuKAB.

The clinic was originally to be evicted in July. It was reported that equipment was already being moved out.

On July 11, however, between the church, state, and the HIV-infected patients a memorandum was signed whereby patients of the clinic, which treats patients with HIV/AIDS, will not be moved until the new hospital building is ready.

In particular, it has been said that the Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases will not be touched until the building at Amosova Street, which is to house the clinic for HIV/AIDS patients, is fully renovated.

The document was the result of the patients’ protest of the Cabinet July 1 order that ruled during the week (by July 8) to evict the clinic and its patients from the space where they are now receiving life-saving treatment.

“We were prepared to chain ourselves to the bed to prevent the equipment from being taken from the clinic,” said Dmytro Sherembey, chairman of YuKAB.