CCTV camera catches moment when doctor kills man with one punch
UPDATE: The Russian doctor captured on video punching a patient who died has been officially fired from his job in Belgorod. The surgeon named as Ilya Zelendinov has been charged with manslaughter but is allegedly yet to be placed under arrest. Russian investigators say it’s a case of “involuntary manslaughter”, and Zeledinov could face up to two years in prison.
A video recoded in a Russian state hospital shows a conflict between a doctor and a patient which ends tragically.
According to Russian web site 360tv.ru the shocking video was recorded in the admission room of state hospital №2 of the Russian city of Belgorod on December 29.
In the video, the doctor comes into the room with a woman, who points at a patient. The doctor instantly drags the male patient from the examination table and asks him “Why did you touch the nurse?” before pushing him out into a separate room.
The patient returns but the doctor punches him in the head, sending the man falling backwards onto the floor. Then the doctor continues to scuffle with another man accompanying the patient.
Minutes later, one of the medics notices the patient lying motionless and “turning blue”. Attempts to revive him prove to be unsuccessful.
In a statement on January 9, Belgorod’s Investigative Committee confirmed the incident occurred on December 29, but gave no explanation for the delay in investigating the crime.
The statement said the doctor – identified as hospital surgeon Ilya Zelendinov – was suspected of causing death through negligence. He has not been taken into custody.
According to Russian media the doctor, who could face up to two years in jail, was involved in similar incidents in the past during which he used physical force.
State Duma Health Committee official Oleg Kulikov commented on the event: “Our doctors are in a distressing condition. Their salaries have become 15-20% lower, there is no hope for better, and there are only prospects of further cutbacks. There are no medicines. Such incidents occur more often than the media shows us.”
With reporting by RFE/RL
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