According to a local newspaper report, health workers dropped a Sakhalin resident from a stretcher as they moved him to the hospital doorway. The incident took place in Kholmsk, a coastal town on the island of Sakhalin. After leaving the intensive care unit of the City Center Regional Hospital on Michurina Street, the patient was transported to the branch on Sovetskaya Street. The ambulance ride itself proceeded without incident, but trouble arose during the transfer into the medical facility when negligence appeared to occur.
Witnesses describe the sequence as follows: the patient was not secured to the stretcher, which contributed to the mishap. The person was brought up a ramp while still on a stretcher. When the door opened, the wheels of the mobile device struck the threshold. Rather than lifting the stretcher, the crew attempted to pull it, causing the wheels to fold and the stretcher to slide into a sled. The patient rolled off and fell to the ground. A spectator who later spoke to the press suggested that if someone had relayed information about the incident to the patient at that moment, the outcome might have been different.
In response, the Sakhalin Ministry of Health stated that the chief physician of the hospital is conducting an investigation into what happened. An inspection found that folding stretchers were being used to reduce the risk of a patient falling if an obstacle is encountered during transport. The front legs of these devices move smoothly, allowing the patient to descend from the carrying device without additional harm.
The ministry noted that a similar event had occurred previously at a hospital, where a patient crossing a threshold was protected by the stretcher mechanism and did not suffer injuries. The health ministry has described the outcome of that case as resolved with the health personnel involved, aiming to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Earlier reports mention a separate incident at a hospital in Novosibirsk where a baby was dropped at birth, underscoring concerns about patient handling and safety across facilities.