The Ministry of Health's report on the inspection of medical institutions has caused skepticism among the residents of Dagestan.
The Ministry of Health of Dagestan reported on the inspection of three women's clinics in Makhachkala, stating that in one of them, patients are registered for appointments without queues. Residents of the republic, commenting on this report on social media, complained about the long wait for appointments with doctors and the need to seek paid medical services.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", problems with the accessibility of medical care and the equipment of medical institutions in Dagestan have repeatedly led to complaints from residents and criticism of officials. For example, on July 11, 2026, residents of the highland village of Tsermer carried a seriously ill patient on a stretcher for almost a kilometer to see doctors due to the lack of a proper road.
In January 2022, residents of the highland village of Khushet had to carry a fellow villager on a stretcher for more than six kilometers through mountainous terrain to the road, where an ambulance crew was waiting, due to the lack of a road and air ambulance.
The acting Minister of Health of Dagestan Aliomar Akhmedov inspected three women's clinics in Makhachkala on August 27 to check for queues and spoke with patients.
The Ministry of Health of Dagestan reported this on August 27 on its Telegram channel. The video attached to the publication shows the absence of queues in the medical institution.
The agency's report was also published by the Instagram*-public dagestan_inform, which has about 656.8 thousand followers. As of 13:10 MSK on September 2, this post received 280 likes and 88 comments.
Commentators, identifying themselves as residents of Dagestan, doubted that the absence of queues reflects the usual situation in medical institutions. "Before everyone arrived, they asked everyone to go out for a smoke," believes princ_705.
"Everyone was sent away before the arrival, like everything is fine, there are no queues there," wrote djamilj1986.
Other commentators stated that in practice, it is difficult to see a doctor due to queues and long wait times for appointments. "There is no queue in the corridor because you have to register through State Services. And there, the appointment is only available in two weeks. That's why there are no queues. And it's impossible to register because that registration is always unavailable," pointed out olya_0508.
"I am registered in St. Petersburg, while in Makhachkala, I went to the 3rd clinic to see a neurologist due to pain in the lumbar region. I stood in line for two hours, where I had to stand because you need to register three weeks in advance. <…> Please check the 3rd clinic on Gamidov," urged ma.gomed4961.
"Let them check how medical institutions respond to phone calls. You need to call all day, and even then, it's not a fact that you will get through. How long do you have to wait for an MRI referral and how long do you have to stand in line at the diagnostic center?" complained zainab_plants.
Commentators also complained about the lack of consumables and the need to seek paid services. "What's the point of this? It's elementary, when I need to take a blood test for genetics, they didn't have reagents," complained malika__1707.
"I wrote a complaint to the Ministry of Health, they sent it to the person against whom the complaint was made for decision-making. That's how they work, gentlemen. Let them take a look at the diagnostic center: you have to wait months for an MRI, but if you pay, you can get it the same day," pointed out nazhmdinovnazhmudin.
"It's even funny, I swear. When I lived in Makhachkala, my wife couldn't get the necessary services, which is why she had to go to paid clinics," noted atabekov.law.
As of 13:10 MSK on September 2, there are no comments on the Ministry of Health of Dagestan's website regarding the criticism from the residents of the republic.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the Ministry of Health of Dagestan has repeatedly faced criticism. For example, on June 7, 2024, the head of Dagestan criticized the ministry for insufficient efforts to combat corruption in the organizations under its jurisdiction.
In July 2022, the head of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, criticized the Ministry of Health of Dagestan for introducing inadequately equipped feldsher-midwife stations (FAPs). This was preceded by reports that many FAPs in the republic lack the necessary equipment. On July 19 of the same year, the Ministry of Health acknowledged problems with FAPs: the agency reported the need to build 233 new stations and to overhaul another 456.