MOSCOW – The chief doctor at a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk that briefly treated poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been promoted to head of the regional Health Ministry, said local authorities today.
In August, 44-year-old Navalny fell severely ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow, and was hospitalised in Omsk after an emergency landing.
The anti-graft campaigner was eventually transferred for treatment to Germany, where experts ruled that he was poisoned with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok.
Alexander Murakhovsky, the head physician at Omsk Emergency Hospital No.1, was among the doctors who claimed that no traces of poison were found in Navalny’s system and stalled his transportation to Berlin.
A statement published on the website of the regional government said Murakhovsky “has completed all the professional steps, (and) as a doctor and leader, knows and understands all the processes that take place in healthcare”.
It said his candidacy “was confirmed with the leadership of the Health Ministry of the Russian Federation. Alexander Murakhovsky has been appointed to the post of the health minister of the region”.
Yesterday, the Siberian branch of the Interior Ministry said doctors in Omsk confirmed that Navalny’s illness was caused by metabolic problems and pancreatitis, ruling out poisoning.
Navalny has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is personally responsible for the poisoning.
The Kremlin has rejected all allegations that it could have been involved, and has accused Germany of not cooperating in investigating the incident.
Last month, the European Union sanctioned several senior Russian officials over the poisoning, saying the attack with Novichok could not have been carried out without the complicity of the FSB security service, Defence Ministry and Putin’s office.
Navalny, who remains in Germany for treatment, has vowed to return to Russia after fully recovering. – AFP, November 7, 2020
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