Izvestia: "Putin scolds three governors for failure to open perinatal centres on schedule"
There were three culprits –Pavel Ipatov, Oleg Bogomolov and Oleg Chirkunov, the governors of the Saratov and Kurgan Regions and Perm Territory, respectively. Bogomolov told Izvestia later that the conversation with the prime minister was pretty tough. Putin started by saying: "Our goal here today is not an emotional tirade or to place blame. We are here to try and understand what prevents us from finishing this work and to determine the final steps to finish it in a proper and timely manner. We are not here to argue, but to make sure the task is understood by everyone and that everything possible is being done to implement it."
The governors were uncomfortable. Ipatov and Bogomolov were nervously flitting through their papers while only Chirkunov sat before Putin empty-handed. He told Izvestia that he didn't need anything because the construction of the centre was finished, and that he was only waiting for the inspection results which he expected by October 31. After the inspection the centre can apply for a license.
"I hope it will admit its first newborn before the end of the year," he said. Chirkunov added that the facility wouldn't need any further work after this report to Putin because it is ready.
"We have thoroughly checked everything and tested it for fungus and mold. As for completing the construction, anything is possible but I can't imagine what would prevent its opening at this point," Chirkunov told Izvestia.
The Kurgan Region governor promised to complete the construction of the maternity home by December although the local authorities admitted that some buildings at the facility were only about 47% complete. Bogomolov blamed Moscow contractors for the delay:
"This company (Mossib – Izvestia) is building an embassy in Minsk and restoring the Grand Kremlin Palace. I checked on it and was reassured that it was reliable. How could I have predicted that it would go bankrupt in 18 months?" Bogomolov shrugged his shoulders in the interview with the Izvestia correspondent.
The company went bankrupt because it had to redesign the perinatal centre since the archetype's design wasn't ready. Bogomolov said he was not too worried about his position because the main thing was to finish the construction of centre for the benefit of the region's residents.
Ipatov was the most sullen. He wouldn't say whether he was willing to step down over the delay. He postponed opening the centre on his own (without federal input). Under the plan, construction was supposed to be completed by November 1, but he said it would be done by December 1 and that the centre would open on December 31. Like Bogomolov, he blamed the delay on the contractors.
Anastasia Novikova
