Two ultrasound machines were seized in Saratov in the case of abuse of office of Natalia Mazina

2022

Keeping the acquittal of Natalia Mazina in force by the cassation court

On September 8, 2022, information appeared that the First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction upheld the acquittal against the ex-Minister of Health of the Saratov Region Natalia Mazina, who tried to challenge the regional prosecutor's office. This was told by her lawyer Andrei Morozov. Read more here.

Acquittal of the ex-Minister of Health in the case of substitution of medical equipment for 53 million rubles

In February 2022, the former head of the Saratov Ministry of Health Natalya Mazina was acquitted in the case of the substitution of medical equipment for tens of millions of rubles. When considering the appeal submission of the prosecutor's office, the Saratov Regional Court found her not guilty of abuse of office and dismissed the submission. Read more here.

2021

Removal of charges against the ex-Minister of Health in the case of abuse of authority in the purchase of ultrasound devices

The Frunzensky District Court on November 12, 2021 acquitted the ex-Minister of Health of the Saratov Region Natalya Mazina. Read more here.

Withdrawal of two ultrasound devices from the Saratov city interdistrict polyclinic No. 1

On May 17, 2021, it became known that two ultrasound machines were seized from the children's department of the Saratov city interdistrict polyclinic No. 1, which are material evidence in the criminal case of ex-Minister of Health of the region Natalia Mazina.

The basis for the seizure of medical equipment was the corresponding decree of the deputy head of the investigation department for the Volosovsky district of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Leningrad Region.

The seized equipment will be sent to St. Petersburg for forensic examination.

The first court hearing in the criminal case of Natalia Mazina will be held on May 20 at the Frunze District Court of Saratov. The trial will be conducted by judge Sergei Pashenko.

The ex-minister is charged under Part 2 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of office committed by a person holding a public position in a subject of the Russian Federation).

{{quote 'In the period from October to November 2018, the regional Ministry of Health concluded three state contracts for the supply of 18 ultrasonic devices for medical institutions.

In December 2018 - January 2019, at the time of their acceptance in medical institutions, the minister was informed about the non-compliance of the supplied devices with the registration certificate issued Roszdravnadzor Russia and, accordingly, the terms of the state contract.

Despite this, the minister... acting out of a different personal interest due to the motives of careerism, the desire to fulfill the state program in any way and avoid claims from the leadership... did not dispose of... refuse to accept falsified ultrasound devices, the investigation believes.}}

According to the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee, Ms. Mazina damaged the budget by 53 million rubles.

Natalia Mazina herself categorically does not admit guilt. She promised to state her position in more detail in court, since she gave a receipt on non-disclosure of the preliminary investigation data.

For May 2021, she is under recognizance not to leave. During the investigation, she lost her husband, who suddenly died on January 1, unable to withstand the tests that fell on the lot of her wife^[1].

2020

The requirement to replace 18 ultrasound devices in hospitals in the region

The Ministry of Health of the Saratov Region filed a lawsuit against the local supplier and St. Petersburg manufacturer of NIPK "Electron," demanding to replace 18 ultrasound devices and pay penalties for the delay in their supply of 53.2 million rubles. This became known on August 28, 2020.

The Saratov Ministry of Health demanded to replace 18 ultrasound devices in hospitals in the region. Photo source: TASS

The subject of the dispute was contracts for the supply of equipment to nine hospitals and clinics. In Saratov region 2018, they were concluded health care Saratov by the Ministry of the Region with the company "," and the SMS Technologies St. Petersburg JSC Research and Production Company "Electron" produced equipment. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for September 21, 2020. Ministry of Health The press service of the regional explained that at the beginning of 2019, the local investigation department of the Investigative Committee RUSSIAN FEDERATION conducted an investigation into the supply of SMS Technologii and NIPK Electron, which were not medical devices registered in the Russian Federation. After that, the supervisory authorities banned the use of this equipment. In the summer of 2019, a criminal case was initiated (part 1 of article 238.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The supplier notified the ministry that he had the necessary documents, but the Roszdravnadzor department did not lift the ban on the use of devices. In 2020, the Federal State Budgetary Institution VNIIIMT of Roszdravnadzor issued a negative expert opinion. It says that the quality of the product cannot be established, there is a threat to health when it is used. As of August 28, 2020, NIPK Electron will appeal this opinion to the Moscow Arbitration Court, no decision has been made on the case.

The press service of NIPK "Electron" did not respond to the request.

According to Dmitry Surchakov, partner of the law firm Stepachkov and Surchakov, the court will almost certainly appoint a forensic examination, within the framework of which experts will be asked about the quality of the delivered ultrasound devices. He also draws attention to the fact that the ministry decided not to refuse to fulfill the contract, but continued relations with organizations, giving them the opportunity to "improve."

At the same time, friction is possible at the stage of choosing experts: each side will probably object to candidates, proposed by opponents, motivating their objections by having an interest, suggests Mikhail German, head of labor practice at GRATA International St. Petersburg. {{quote 'The outcome of the dispute will depend on the quality of the forensic examination and those conclusions, which will be set out in it, as well as from how much the manufacturer will be able to prove the compliance of its equipment with the requirements of the law and safety, - he says^[2]. }}

Reasons and consequences of the initiation of a criminal case in the relationship of the Minister of Health

On January 30, 2020, Zdrav.Expert became aware of the reasons and consequences of initiating a criminal case against the Minister of Health of the Saratov Region.

As you know, since 2019, security officials have been trying to prove that Ministry of Health of the Saratov Region the -Electron ultrasound devices purchased in 2018 ULTRASONOGRAPHY allegedly did not comply with the terms of the contract concluded between officials and the supplier. In total, 18 such devices were purchased for more than 50 million. In rubles January 2020 health care Saratov region Natalia Mazina , a criminal case was initiated against the minister under Art. 285 of the Criminal Code " RUSSIAN FEDERATION Abuse of office." The reasons and consequences of initiating a criminal case were analyzed in the Versiy- news agency, Saratov publishing an article about this on January 30, 2020.

The fact that a redistribution of the medical equipment supply market is planned in the region was reported by Versiya-Saratov in the summer of 2019. Then the head of the SMS Technologies company Oleg Sipyagin gave a detailed interview to Versiya-Saratov news agency on this matter.

Sipyagin said that his company has been participating in tenders announced by the Ministry of Health for many years. But someone allegedly wanted to move successful competitors, and a campaign was launched to discredit the supplier. Moreover, this "hit" received serious support from some representatives of the power structures of the Saratov region.

The supply of the very ultrasound devices for children was chosen as the basis for the "offensive." This equipment was manufactured at a domestic enterprise with a 30-year history - NIPK Electron CJSC.

The plant is located in St. Petersburg and is in good standing with the Russian authorities. It is chosen as a platform for the development of import substitution in the country. And the ultrasound devices produced there fully comply with the requirements for them (which is confirmed by the information on the official website of the Federal Service for Supervision of Health Care). Moreover, this type of equipment is recommended by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for use in the implementation of federal programs.

Регистрационное удостоверение на medical device "Ultrasound-Electron." Source: business-vector.info

Realizing that the equipment of a domestic manufacturer, which is not inferior in technical characteristics to a foreign one, will cost less, SMS Technologies went to auction with it. And they won. And when the delivery was made, problems began.

It turned out that three of the four sensors installed on each device fail. However, this did not affect the results of ultrasonic examinations. The problem was that the sensor markings were improperly rendered on the monitor. That is, it was not about the readings of the device, but about its, let's say, self-identification.

In general, there was a common technical failure, which, as suppliers assured, can be easily eliminated by calling specialists from the manufacturing plant. After all, it was the St. Petersburg enterprise that delivered and launched the equipment. They also proposed to eliminate the failure as part of the warranty service.

Meanwhile, the investigators of the regional Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee sent back information that the sensors are separate replaceable devices (act of expertise of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Saratov Region No. 008 43 00035 of 27.06.2019). Therefore, in case of their failure, it is possible to replace them with similar ones, moreover, the system is working with one or more sensors (letter of NIPK Electron CJSC ref. No. 1254 dated 26.06.2019^[3]

Electron specialists really arrived in Saratov and even managed to fix problems in a couple of ultrasound devices, but then, unexpectedly, investigators intervened in the adjustment process. They, according to representatives of SMS Technologies, not only forbade St. Petersburg masters to touch their children, but also completely sealed the equipment, which until that moment had been successfully used in children's clinics in the Saratov region.

At first, people in uniform stated that domestic equipment was allegedly counterfeit (although initially it was only about individual sensors, which are not only configured, but also completely replaced on devices, roughly speaking, like light bulbs in lamps). And after that, a criminal case was born in general, which in 2020 found a defendant - the Minister of Health of the region Natalia Mazina.

Representatives of the supplier company have repeatedly tried to convey their position to the inspection and regulatory authorities. They even placed an official appeal in the public domain. There is a huge text in which there are references to legislative acts, GOSTs, clauses of contracts, technical documentation, answers from the manufacturing plant and much more.

The text of the case is posted here. Apparently, the management of SMS Technologies hoped that the competent authorities would familiarize themselves with the arguments based on documentary evidence, and the investigation would become more objective and thorough.

Apparently, something went wrong. The arguments of the equipment supplier were posted on the network on January 10, 2020. And ten days later, investigators came to the Saratov children's clinic No. 3 and... sealed one of the few installed ultrasound devices remaining in operation.

The deputy chief physician of the polyclinic Vladislav Serdyukov told the correspondent of the Versiya-Saratov news agency that now the doctors have only two old devices in service, which have worked for more than 10 years. It is not known how long they will last. Indeed, after the sacrament of sealing working equipment by investigators, these two "mastodons" are used one hundred percent - they do not turn off from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening.

As a result of investigative actions, the load has increased not only on old devices, but also on doctors. Modern technologies are now gathering dust in the corner behind the screen, sealed with pieces of paper with the seals of the department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Saratov Region. And the duration of the examination of children has increased many times.

Doctors (the same Serdyukov, for example) assure: the equipment "arrested" by people in uniform is serviceable and effective. She helped treat children in the Saratov region for almost a year. And now, by the will of the investigators, domestic devices purchased at the budget expense under the national program have been withdrawn from circulation.

According to the lawyer Elena Sergun, who represents the interests of the equipment supplier, the employees of the security department simply have no other way out. The entire criminal case, suspected of which the whole Minister of Health of the region was hastily made, was based on the fact that the domestic devices of the well-known enterprise NIPK Electron CJSC were allegedly of poor quality. But if the specialists of this enterprise under warranty correct the very malfunctions with sensors or replace these sensors altogether (which would be more than logical in this situation), then what will remain in the hands of the investigation?

According to Versiya-Saratov, it is because of this that people in uniform diligently "protect" ultrasound devices from specialists from the St. Petersburg manufacturer. For the same reason, it seems that the applications of equipment suppliers for a technical examination by employees of the Federal State Budgetary Institution VNIIIMT of Roszdravnadzor, the only state institution whose conclusion could put an end to such a "high-profile" case, are rejected. After all, then this whole story with "counterfeit" and "low-quality" equipment of domestic production can simply fall apart, like a house of cards from the blowing of fresh wind^[4].

2019

Initiation of a criminal case for the supply of counterfeit ultrasound devices

As it became known on June 26, 2019, the Investigative Committee in Saratov opened a criminal case on the fact of the circulation of falsified, poor-quality and unregistered medical devices (Article 238.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This was announced by a source of the publication "Public Opinion" in law enforcement agencies.^[5]. The press service^[6] regional Investigative^[7] did not confirm this information, but did not deny it either.

Earlier, the same publication reported that the Investigative Committee of the Saratov Region began an investigation into the supply of counterfeit devices for ultrasound. As specified, the supplies were carried out by SMS Technologies LLC under state contracts to children's clinics in Saratov, Engels and Balakovo.

Restricting Vendor Access to Ultrasound Sets

The Investigative Committee banned the access of representatives of the companies "SMS Technologies" and NIPK "Electron" without the presence of employees of the committee and management of the UEB and PC of the Saratov police to the diagnostic systems for ultrasound delivered by them under state contracts to children's clinics in Saratov, Engels and Balakovo. This was reported on June 5 by the Saratov edition of Public Opinion of the^[8].

The manufacturer and supplier of medical equipment was denied access to ultrasound devices in polyclinics in the Saratov region

If it is necessary for representatives of these companies to carry out maintenance of chief doctors, they were obliged to immediately notify the investigators of the Investigative Committee about this fact. At the same time, the department began an investigation into the supply of medical devices unregistered on the territory of the Russian Federation to medical institutions in the Saratov region (which falls under Article 238.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and can be punished with imprisonment for up to 8 years).

Earlier, the same publication reported on the supply of "unsuitable" and counterfeit equipment intended for the diagnosis and treatment of children, as well as the possible involvement of the regional ministry of health, headed by Minister Natalya Mazina, in the likely collusion of officials and SMS Technologies.

Public Opinion, in particular, wrote that SMS Technologies supplies devices manufactured by NIPK Electron, equipped with Chinese-made sensors. According to the publication, within the framework of the state contract for 37.3 million rubles, concluded in October 2018, all the devices were delivered, but they "turned out to be not only" unsuitable, "but also, in fact, fake, counterfeit." At the same time, the material noted that, according to the customs authorities, the sensors were imported in violation of the law: by transporting counterfeit goods as original sensors, the plant avoided paying taxes.^[9]

2018: Delivery of ultrasound devices for 37.3 million rubles

In 2018, in the Saratov region, state purchases of medical equipment for the needs of children's medical institutions in at least three cases were carried out with disregard for the requirements of both the customers themselves and the current GOSTs, the Public Opinion (OM) magazine reported on October 24, 2018 following an investigation. The winner in all cases was the Saratov company "SMS Technologies," specializing in the integrated equipment of medical and preventive institutions.

In particular, the magazine received information about the auctions held in September 2018, as a result of which medical equipment that did not meet the declared technical requirements of medical institutions was delivered for the needs of children's clinics in Saratov, Engels and Balakovo.

The purchase was carried out on the order. State Procurement Centralization Agency The object of purchase was 13 universal stationary devices. ULTRASONOGRAPHY The initial contract price was set at 50.7 million. rubles

Four organizations took part in the auction, including SMS Technologies LLC.

In her letter of September 26, 2018 at that time, First Deputy Minister of Health of the Saratov Region Natalya Mazina (for October - Minister) warns the head of the customer organization Vladimir Efimkin about the inconsistency of the specific indicators of the specified ultrasonic devices "Apogee 5500" with the accessories "Shantow Institute of Ultrasonic Tools Co., LTD" (country of origin from China) the indicators specified in the passports and in the user manual, and the customer's technical requirements for the procurement object.

As follows from the information presented on the official website of public procurement, these Chinese-made devices were previously purchased only once - for the city station for combating animal diseases in the Volgograd region.

However, the warning of the representative of the Ministry of Health of the Saratov region did not affect the course of the auction, the winner of which was eventually recognized as SMS Technologies LLC^[10] The final supply price was reduced to 37.3 million rubles.

Read about the other two purchases with the participation of SMS Technologies LLC in the articles:

• Delivery of digital X-ray machines 33.15 million rubles
• Supply of artificial lung ventilation devices for 17 million rubles

Notes