Russian Health Ministry Bans Patients from Dying to 'Not Ruin Stats'

By The Moscow Times

June 23, 2016

Doctors at a Russian have been asked to reduce the number of deaths to once a week in order not to spoil the statistics, the local news website Vkurse.ru reported Wednesday.

The warning was sent to the hospitals in Russia's central Perm region by Medical Information and Analytical Center, an organization run by the local Ministry of Health. It also stipulated that the number of ambulance calls in each district should not exceed 11 per week, Vkurse.ru reported.

An unidentified doctor told the news outlet that the statement had been posted on hospital walls, and that staff were told the requirements were necessary in order to ?€?keep up good statistics.?€?

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