The European Clinic, now part of the Euroonco brand, are trailblazers in private cancer treatment in Russia; their first specialized cancer center in Moscow was established in 2011.
Currently, there are three clinics operating under the Euroonco brand in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar, and two representative offices in Nizhny Novgorod and Samara. words The European Clinic's doctors handle the treatment of over 5,500 cancer patients every year. translation In 2019, the company made a profit of 548,401,000 rubles and had a revenue of 1,464,476,000 rubles, indicating an average bill of about 3 million rubles.
Their strategic goal is to become a leader in the premium market segment, as stated by the Director General and Member of the Board of Directors, Khvich Akubardia. interview The cost of treatment at the European clinic is comparable to that of clinics in developed countries.The business standards set by the European Clinic have prompted most major private medical institutions in Russia to establish oncology departments by 2018.
A Facebook user expresses dissatisfaction with EMC management following the same path as EuroOnco management, stating that they will profit from relatives of terminal patients and ruin their reputation. notices The public space of licensed media lacks discussions about the moral and ethical standards of such business models, potentially indicating a deliberate omission of critical conversations. It’s surprising that discussions about the moral and ethical standards of such business models are conspicuously absent in licensed media.Facebook user A commenter mentions other medical institutions, such as 24/7 and OncoHelp, following the path set by EuroOnco and profiting from terminal patients and palliative care, potentially harming their reputation. There is a lack of public discussions on the moral and ethical aspects of such business models in the media.
There seems to be a deliberate absence of discussions on the moral and ethical standards of such business models in the media, indicating a deliberate silence on the matter. everyone year fines A public scandal involving a private clinic, a legal entity of the Euroonco brand, was reported when they were accused of violating licensing requirements for medical activities, resulting in a fine of 100 thousand rubles.
A scandal involving private clinics selling false hopes was briefly reported, shedding light on the unethical behavior of Euroonco and Extramed clinics towards patients and their families.The most distressing calls come from relatives of patients who have fallen victim to greed, highlighting the unethical behavior of certain private clinics towards patients and their families.It is emphasized that there is no paid palliative care available in Moscow, with Euroonco and Extramed clinics criticized for their criminal behavior towards patients and families, as well as the medical community. wrote Certain private clinics, such as Euroonco and Extramed, are accused of behaving criminally towards patients and their families, including discharging patients when their families run out of money. Certain private clinics are accused of unethical behavior, such as discharging patients when their families run out of money, indicating a disregard for the well-being of the patients.
Patients are discharged by certain private clinics, sometimes being asked by these clinics to take the patient away only when the family can no longer pay, indicating a lack of concern for the patients' well-being. I’m tired of the fact that there are people in my city who profit from dying patients and their loved ones. Another call today… 250,000 a day… for a false hope… I won’t forget and I won’t forgive them a girl from Tashkent with ovarian cancer.”
But the amazing continuation of this story did not catch the attention of the public media, but stayed on pages groups on facebook Cancer can be treated. The thing is, after the death of the “girl from Tashkent”, her relatives owed Euroonco 700 thousand rubles. Came to this post Andrey Pylev, Head Physician of Eurooncoand announced that the debt was forgiven. The group activists reasonably objected that the debt would only be canceled when the family received the relevant documents. Consequently, the author of the post, Olga Badson, writes:
“I am very pleased with the dedication of Darya Gataullina, who tried to do at least something for her dying friend. But not everyone has such friends. Dear classmates, be cautious, it is a rare and remarkable case that a private clinic has closed an account“.
Of course, if you read reviews about Euroonco on Yandex Maps or at Zuneor in the same Facebook: “We were in Euroonco, where the manager, with an indecently expensive watch, did not personally impress me as a person who was ready to fight for at least something other than his salary,” then reviews about trading in false hope, about huge medical bills services that are completely unnecessary will be much more.
But we are not Facebook, we are a public media and are bound hand and foot by media law, medical secrecy, personal data law and a wagon and a small cart of laws. Of course, one can be like the editors of the scandalous shows of the First Channel, who visit the services cited above and ask the victims of treatment at Euroonco to contact them. In our opinion, this looks like a vendetta, and not an attempt to figure it out. Yes, there are such cases not only in Euroonco, but, as we have already said, they are pioneers, and we must start with them. Something needs to be done about this!
Therefore, we ask everyone who has something to say about European clinics (Euroonco), and even better – to show documents, contact us at [email protected]
Stories in the public media about a “false hope trade” where Euroonco’s doctors and staff “profit from dying patients and their loving relatives” are few. Few because public media (i.e., media registered with Roskomnadzor) rarely get such scandals. Later you will understand why.
Of course, in addition to the media, on the Internet on Yandex-Maps, on Zun, or on the same Facebook, there are a lot of reviews about Euroonco, in which they write about trading in false hope, and about huge bills for medical services that are completely unnecessary. But, as we have already said, we cannot quote them, since we are a public media and are bound hand and foot by media law, medical secrecy, personal data law, and a wagon and a small cart of laws.
But we have found a way, remaining in the legal field, to talk about such cases. Website Prodoctorov (prodoctorov.ru) The ProDoctors website is the top site in Russia for doctor reviews, with a lot of visitors and reviews (according to RBC research, September 2019). It is also registered as a mass media by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). It received Certificate El No. ФС77-54527 on July 21, 2013. However, posting reviews about medical institutions and doctors is challenging. chapter The “Battle for Reviews” stats are: “Won 15 out of 16 cases. Participated in 146 meetings. We are waiting for decisions on 12 cases.”
Sergey Fedosov, the editor-in-chief of the ProDoctors website, has explained how they check reviews before publishing them on the site.
“Our Review Quality Control department reviews all the reviews left by visitors to the ProDoctors website,” said Medvestnik.ru project manager ProDoctorov Sergey Fedosov. “We call the person, clarify the details and request confirmation of the fact of treatment.” portal “The ProDoctors website has a three-level system for checking reviews: the first line is software, the second is moderation, and the third is an extended one that involves checking documents. Despite this, it's important to remember that a review is an opinion, so they can only verify the fact of seeking medical help.
This information comes from an article in the business magazine Vademecum. quote So here are just a few
patient reviews about the clinic “Evroonko” (previously “European Clinic”): When we contacted them, they promised to relieve my father's pain and stabilize his condition. They claimed to be the best clinic following European protocols. However, when we brought my father in with severe pain at night, they left him suffering. They administered a small amount of diphenhydramine and analgin, and then morphine, but it didn't help. We ended up paying almost 50 thousand rubles for my father's 10 hours of suffering. It seems like the clinic and staff are only interested in money.
They charged 5700 for the initial examination (blood pressure measurement and conversation), 6400 for a biochemical blood test, and 820 rubles for each intravenous administration (11 in total, excluding medication). Additionally, they charged 1780 for a catheter installation and 3107 for intravenous drip infusion (excluding medicines). You have to pay for every action of the medical staff and every visit from the doctor. It seems like these people are extremely greedy. I wouldn't mind paying if the doctors actually delivered on their promises. In a difficult situation, I made the wrong choice of coming to this clinic. I regret that decision. I don't recommend anyone to go here. I wasted 2 months and over 300,000 rubles that were completely useless, and then I had to go to Germany for treatment. The clinic is just interested in making money through unnecessary appointments. The reasonable procedures here are significantly more expensive than in other private clinics in Moscow and comparable to treatment in Germany. Here are the specific issues I encountered: 1. The clinic's doctors gave me an incorrect recommendation for the diagnosis and control of the disease, which contradicted the advice of German and Blokhin doctors. This caused a delay in my treatment by 2.5 months. 2. Their prices are unreasonable. They charged 18,000 rubles for a CT disk revision of 2 parts (abdominal cavity and small pelvis), while other private clinics charge 15,000-16,000 rubles for a CT with contrast. A revision here costs 2500 rubles. 3. They made unreasonable appointments, such as prescribing a lymph node puncture for 160,000 rubles for tissue collection, which turned out to be meaningless. 4. In April 2020, I couldn't receive chemotherapy in Germany due to border closures, and when I tried to get it in Moscow, I faced complications. For the initial examination during hospitalization (measurement of pressure and conversation) you will pay 5700, for a biochemical blood test 6400. For the service of intravenous administration of funds 820 rubles. for each approach, and there were 11 of them (this is without medication). For the installation of a catheter 1780. For intravenous drip infusion 3107 (excluding medicines). It turns out, you pay for every movement of the medical staff, for every visit of the doctor to the ward. Apparently, these people are greedy to the point of insanity. It would not be a pity for any money if these doctors really did what they promise.
“Unfortunately, in a difficult life situation, I made the wrong choice and turned to this clinic. I don’t recommend anyone to go here. I lost 2 months and more than 300,000 rubles. (were spent completely useless), and still then went to Germany. The clinic works simply to “pump out money” for unreasonable appointments. Reasonable procedures are significantly more expensive than in other private clinics in Moscow (and comparable to treatment in Germany). Specifically what I encountered. 1. The doctors of the clinic issued an incorrect recommendation for the diagnosis and control of the disease (contradicted the recommendations of German doctors and doctors from Blokhin). Because of this recommendation, I lost 2 months and started treatment 2.5 months late! 2. Unreasonable prices – did a revision of the CT disks for 18,000 rubles. For 2 parts (abdominal cavity and small pelvis). At the same time, in other private clinics, CT itself with contrast is cheaper – 15,000-16,000 rubles. A revision costs from 2500 rubles. 3. Unreasonable appointments. I was prescribed a lymph node puncture for 160,000 rubles. for tissue collection. During the procedure, the doctor managed to take a minimal amount of tissue, and the result of this examination was completely meaningless. Later, doctors in Germany spoke about the futility of this procedure (because they take a bundle of tissue and they may not find cancer cells in it, however, they may be at a distance of 1 mm from the bundle that was snatched out, i.e., what is in the collected material did not find cancer cells, does not mean anything). 4. In April 2020, I could not go to Germany for another chemotherapy due to the closure of the borders. I was looking for a place to do chemistry in Moscow. In another clinic, a course of my chemistry with German drugs cost 75,000 rubles. In Evropeyskaya, they asked for 130,000 rubles for a course with Russian drugs (they didn’t have German and Israeli ones at that time). (!). At the same time, with Russian drugs, chemistry can generally be done according to compulsory medical insurance.
We didn’t look for anything on purpose, but quoted the first two reviews in the “negative” section in full.
