“There are no guarantees, there is no contract”: What a terrible truth is hidden behind the signs of private medical offices

The SHOT Check project inspected private offices of dentists and cosmetologists where people were mutilated. In practice, it turned out that you can open a medical business and accept patients without education, a license, or even a passport.

How a would-be orthodontist disfigured a patient for 150 thousand rubles

— I had angioedema from the device that the doctor installed. It became difficult for me to walk, I simply could not stand without support! Facial asymmetry and raised eyebrows appeared. The teeth did not close. There is a distance of seven millimeters between the lower and upper teeth, — Olga S. still hasn’t recovered from the shock and pain.

She was looking for where to get her bite corrected. I found an advertisement from a Volgograd doctor on the Internet. Dmitry Savinovwho calls himself a leading specialist in the field of orthocraniodontics – a treatment method that combines orthodontics, orthopedics and osteopathy. Photos of a fashionable clinic were posted on his social networks. And the price for a Hollywood smile is the most tempting – 150 thousand rubles with a discount. The doubts were finally dispelled by Savinov’s certificates of dental training and extensive experience – supposedly 15 years.

Dmitry Savinov

According to Olga, during the procedure Savinov installed an orthodontic device – and not a simple one, but of his own invention. As it turned out later, this device was not found in any medical registry. Because of him, the girl almost became disabled.

As SHOT Check found out, it turns out that de jure Savinov’s clinic simply does not exist. This is an equipped room in a residential building. The doctor also cheated with his portfolio.

“He hasn’t worked for us for seven years now,” They immediately disowned Savinov in a large Volgograd clinic, where he allegedly works in combination with private practice.

It seems that Savinov also does not have the qualifications of an orthodontist, which he likes to show off in front of gullible clients and on social networks. He is only an orthopedist.

Naturally, Olga S. filed a lawsuit. The litigation is still ongoing and, oddly enough, it does not at all prevent Dmitry Savinov from continuing his activities.

This “specialist” does not like to communicate with journalists. Our correspondent tried to contact him via messenger, but was immediately blocked.

It seems that private practice brings Dmitry Savinov a good income. In addition to the apartment, he has a nice dacha and a Mitsubishi SUV.

There is no doctor, but the procedure will be carried out by the administrator

“The doctor brought all these scars on my face right here.” (to the temples.—Note Life.ru), and they all went away. The operation was terrible and painful. There were no examinations or conclusion of a contract, they simply put him on the operating table and began. They cut me for two and a half hours. I barely got up, my eyes are narrow, I don’t see anything, I don’t understand anything. They took my money in cash, didn’t give me a receipt and said “goodbye” — says Anastasia B.

Amina Ibragimova

Apparently, she was almost maimed at the Moscow beauty center “PhoenixMed” on Dekabristov Street. The girl fell for the tempting offer of blepharoplasty – this is plastic surgery to remove excess skin and fat from the eyelids. The advertisement was posted on the plastic surgeon’s banned Instagram* Amina Ibragimova.

The price is only 60-odd thousand rubles. Supposedly a seasonal discount, but the cost exceeds 200 thousand.

When Anastasia B. returned to the clinic to remove the stitches, doctor Amina Ibragimova was not there: she was sick. But the administrator from the reception took over to carry out the procedure, who, if necessary, is ready to perform the function of a nurse. For Anastasia B. it all ended in hellish pain and broken stitches. Doctor Amina Ibragimova responded to her justified indignation via messenger… It turned out that the client herself was to blame for everything.

– When you wipe the stitches – the nurse noticed the same thing – you tighten them, but that’s not possible. There is no need to press on them, or anything else is not needed, they are somehow connected to each other, – the doctor said in a voice message.

As a result, Anastasia B. needed urgent medical care and a new operation. Already in a normal medical center. With licenses, service contracts and receipts.

Prices, of course, turned out to be higher. As a result, now we have lost 120 thousand, a loan for another 200 thousand rubles, undermined health, and medical examinations and legal proceedings lie ahead. And Dr. Amina Ibragimova, if Anastasia’s story did not influence her, must continue to let gullible patients under the scalpel. She comes from Khanty-Mansiysk. Previously, I rented an apartment in the capital, but recently, apparently, I bought my own – a two-room apartment in Veshnyaki.

No guarantees, payment in cash

Our correspondent decided to experience for himself what an Internet cosmetologist is. I randomly chose an ad on a specialized site. I agreed on a consultation.

This is the Cosmo Yana cosmetology clinic in the very center of Moscow, occupies a separate office in a small administrative building on Sadovnicheskaya Street. Almost in the very first link upon request of Cosmo Yana, a devastating review pops up under the heading “Unscrupulous cosmetologist who breaks the law.”

— You came on time. We have crazy discounts today, — The “medical staff” attacked the correspondent like a predator on its prey.
The procedures at the clinic are peculiar.
— An eyebrow can fall, an eyelid can droop, anything can happen if the dosage is calculated incorrectly. There are no guarantees, there is no contract either, payment is in cash. We are located opposite Red Square, this is our area of responsibility.

Olesya Zelenina

It is unclear who will stab and cut. No documents are provided. However, the doctor still introduced herself: Olesya Zelenina. It turns out that she is a venereologist, a dermatologist, and a cosmetologist. There really is one in the doctors’ database. Judging by information from the Internet, in addition to private practice, she conducts official appointments in one of the Krasnogorsk clinics. Interestingly, the conditions there are better and consultations are free.

When SHOT Check informed Zelenina’s employer about her suspicious, “without guarantees” private practice, the clinic initiated an internal audit. Without waiting for her results, Zelenina disappeared from there.

How a journalist worked as a dentist

– Hello, I’m here for an announcement. Do you rent out a medical office? — The SHOT Check correspondent decided to find out how difficult it is to open, for example, a dental office yourself.

According to the law, this requires specialized diplomas, certificates, licenses, tax registration, and you also need to pass an inspection by Rospotrebnadzor and the Department of Health. But this is on paper. In fact, three calls – and a landlord was found who is ready to turn a blind eye to everything. Address: Moscow, 2nd Pugachevskaya street, 10, building 1. This is the first floor of a residential building. Equipped dental office for rent.

The reporter pretended to be a dentist. His legend is this: he has a job in a large clinic, but he needs to see his patients bypassing the main cash register.

Administrator Elena Gerasimova I didn’t even bat an eyelid; apparently, such tourers are not uncommon here.

— Rent will cost 4000 per shift. If on an ongoing basis – 3500. We can conclude an agreement with tenants, if necessary, but so far no one has asked – Administrator Gerasimova announces the conditions.

She didn’t ask for anything, not even my passport. Like, will you find the device, how to turn it on, will you figure it out? That’s all.

Inside the office there are continuous violations of SanPiN. The cloudy disinfectant solution is not fresh. The instruments are dirty, as if covered in cement; at best, they are simply not sterilized. The garbage bin is full, there are used syringes piled up there, you can get scratched. You can feel from everything that the office is being changed from hand to hand.

To bring the experiment to its logical conclusion, the correspondent distributed leaflets on the street inviting him to his office for a free examination. Quite quickly, a client was found – a local resident – a pensioner. There was no point in performing the performance any further.
Lawyer’s comment:

— For such activities, the doctor will be deprived of his license. And if there is no license anyway, then this is already criminally punishable. Article 235 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Fine up to 120 thousand rubles, imprisonment only in case of harm to health. The problem of such doctors appeared back in 2006–2008, but then it somehow subsided and now it has arisen again. Unfortunately, people often come there for prices below the market, without thinking about the consequences, turning a blind eye to the lack of an agreement and violations of SanPiN rules. But if you paid in cash, it will be almost impossible to prove anything in court. To avoid getting into such a situation, I advise you to find out all the possible information about the doctor: where he worked before, what reviews he had. Its licenses must be posted on a board at the entrance – please note if they are available. And, of course, insist on concluding an agreement. If they promise you a big discount for working without a contract, don’t agree. Health is more valuable — advises Alim Patov.

By tradition, SHOT Check sent all the collected information to the Department of Health, Rospotrebnadzor and law enforcement agencies.

Claire Ramirez

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