More than 6 thousand migrants with dangerous diseases were found in Russia during a year

During the previous year, more than 6 thousand migrants with dangerous diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV, were found in Russia. This was informed today by the director of the Federal Service on Customers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-being Surveillance, head sanitary inspector of Russian Federation Gennady Onischenko during the enlarged meeting of the Federation Council Committee for Social Policy. 

In general, 6114 migrants were declared about their “undesirability of staying in Russian Federation” in connection with the infectious and virus diseases from January to December 2011. In particular, the HIV infection was found in more than 1.2 thousand persons, and tuberculosis was found in more than 2.6 thousand persons. 

Onischenko told senators about the range of problems, connected with the inspection and treatment of migrants. “We cannot currently entrust “certification” of the citizens to the countries of origin /of migrants in Russia/”, - the head sanitary inspector said, explaining that otherwise the treaties on mutual recognition of medical documents would be signed. 

“If suddenly Germans begin to /massively/ arrive to Russia, we will believe German doctors”, he emphasized, adding that there is no similar belief in health protection authorities of Central Asian countries. “Considering the mentality, all of them /migrants/ will arrive with “certificates of astronauts”, they may be accepted to the detachments at once”, Onischenko joked. 

According to his words, migrants from such countries currently must undergo the examination in Russia during one month and, in case of detection of infectious diseases and declaring of undesirability of their staying in the country, they will have 10-15 days to voluntarily leave the country. 

At the same time, Onischenko noted that in case that the system of migrants’ treatment in Russia at the expense of the budget is established, then people “will massively go to our country for treatment”. 

The director of the Federal Service on Customers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-being Surveillance considers that this problem may be solved, for example, by the creation of the relevant contractual and legal base with the migrants’ countries of origin or by way of assignment of the obligations of payment of treatment of labour migrants to employers. 

“Besides, the problem of illegal migration remains in force, and this is a dead area at all – the illegal migrant will never come to the medical institution by him- or herself. But they live among us”, the director of the Federal Service on Customers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-being Surveillance summed up.