Kyrgyzstan: convict with cancer cannot access treatment

The relatives of a convicted man with an oncological disease, who complained about the inaction of the State Penitentiary Service and the Ministry of Health in resolving the issue of hospitalizing the patient, turned to the Ombudsman.

They asked for assistance in urgent hospitalization of their relative at the National Center of oncology and hematology.

It is worth adding that on the basis of the conclusion of the National Center of oncology and hematology, the convict was given a clinical diagnosis of “Stomach cancer of the 4th stage, metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, carcinosis”.

“Repeated appeals of the convict’s relatives and lawyers to the administration of the State Penitentiary Service, including penitentiary colony-47, as well as to the Ministry of Public Health, did not yield any results. Now, the state of health of this convict has deteriorated sharply – he cannot move independently and loses his speech,” the Ombudsman’s Institute said.

It should be noted that the decree of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic of November 29, 2011 provides for the release of convicts from serving their sentences if they are diagnosed with stage IV malignant neoplasms. That is, this is the basis for submitting them for release.

“I turned to the head of the State Penitentiary Service and the Minister of Public Health with a request to urgently resolve the issue concerning the hospitalization of the convict with the subsequent submission to the commission for the release of this convict from serving the sentence in connection with the cancer of the 4th stage,” Tokon Mamytov said.