Putin discusses window dressing in the regions
During his Q&A session this year, Russians told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that his initiatives are placed on the back-burner and that he is not shown the situation in the regions as it truly is.
The prime minister said he would analyse the problem beginning with the Ivanovo Region. A cardiologist from that region told Putin that medical equipment was installed specifically for his visit and then dismantled and removed, that patients were disguised as members of the hospital staff, and that nurses and doctors were told to lie about their salaries.
Yesterday's session was held in the traditional format, with questions often posed by people from those regions that Vladimir Putin visited in 2010. The prime minister, who helped fight the economic crisis, wildfires, and bad roads, had a chance to learn how life in the outlying regions changed after his visits.
It turned out that some regional administrations had failed or refused to fulfil his orders. For example, the maternity ward in the village of Aksyonovo-Zilovskoye, which Putin visited while traveling on the Trans-Siberian Highway, has not been reopened, houses have not been repaired, and ambulances come only if the callers say they can pay for the petrol.
On the other hand, modern equipment has been delivered to the local school.
"We received expensive equipment after your visit, and we are very grateful to you for this. Unfortunately, most of that equipment is gathering dust in the closet. And we fear it will be stolen because we don't have security at the school," the school principal said. "Something was done in our village before and especially after your visit, but what will happen from now on? The problems of our village will be forgotten as soon as you stop monitoring them."
Putin said he remembered the modest people who were "loyal to their village" and promised that Russian Railways' medical train would travel to such outlying regions as Aksyonovo-Zilovskoye and that he would "give this an additional push and send the necessary signals to the governor."
An "additional push" may also be given to Mikhail Men, the governor of the Ivanovo Region. A cardiologist from the regional hospital called to tell Putin that he was not given to know the real situation during his visit.
"They provided temporary equipment to the hospital, only to remove it shortly after your visit," the caller said. "They made nurses tell you that their monthly salaries were 12,000 roubles and that doctors received cheques for 30,000 roubles. But it's all false. Our salaries aren't that high. My salary is 14,000 roubles and I work double shift, and nurses receive 3,600 roubles."
Moreover, he claimed that "most of the patients were asked to leave the hospital on the day of your visit, and in some wards the members of the hospital's staff were disguised as patients."
Putin was surprised and promised that the issue would be investigated. "Next week, a commission of the Ministry of Healthcare will be sent to the Ivanovo Region," he said.
But the regional authorities proved to move faster: Olga Khasbulatova, first deputy chair of the Ivanovo Region's government, said yesterday evening that she had visited the hospital in question at the request of the governor, visiting all the sites Putin had visited, and can say confidently that the equipment has not been dismantled. She did not mention the doctors' salaries or "false patients," however. The hospital's chief physician, Igor Volkov, said the salaries were around the national average.
Local residents say that such window dressing is a common practice in the regions. An official from the Rostov Region told RBC Daily on the condition of anonymity that they had even painted the grass a brighter shade of green for Putin's visit. Emergency road building and killing stray dogs along the prime minister's route have long become a standing joke.
"Come visit some region without warning, at least once. That would be a real show – real drama," they suggested to the prime minister.
"I have repeatedly visited regions without warning and will continue to do so," he replied.
People across Russia hope Putin that will come and solve their problems. "You are the ultimate authority for everyone," people said during the phone-in.
"It is unfortunately just unrealistic for every person in need of help and support to get through to the prime minister or the president. But I expect our counterparts in regions and municipalities to try as hard as we do, or maybe harder [to address the public's needs]," Putin said. "As a matter of fact, most of the problems people face on a day-to-day level lie within the jurisdiction of the local and regional authorities."
He also said that people should consider whom they are electing. Putin recommended that voters be sure to elect "not just some windbag who promises the Garden of Eden, but people who may not be as colourful but know their business."
Inga Vorobyova