Residents of the Udmurt village of Nyurdor-Kotya, which had a population of 994 in the latest census, are opposing plans to replace their local outpatient clinic with a feldsher-obstetric station, or FAP. Officials say the current building is fully worn out, and that Russia’s Health Ministry approved a new FAP under a federal primary healthcare modernization program.
Villagers argue that a FAP cannot match the clinic in either the range or quality of care. According to a local resident identified as Anna, the building once housed inpatient beds, a pharmacy and a physiotherapy room, but those services disappeared over time; the dentist, physiotherapy room and pharmacy are no longer functioning. A district healthcare employee identified as Alevtina said the facility now has a feldsher, a district nurse and an orderly, while a pediatrician and therapist visit periodically.
Residents say they were not warned in advance about the reorganization. At a meeting in early February, local officials said the village would receive a FAP of about 100 square meters. Villagers responded by proposing that the allocated funds be used instead to repair the existing clinic and restore lost services, including a pharmacy and dental care. Their appeal to the regional Health Ministry and Udmurtia head Aleksandr Brechalov gathered 400 signatures.
To persuade them, officials took villagers to nearby settlements where FAPs had already been built. But the trips only deepened concerns. Anna said one facility felt stuffy even with open vents, and that during severe winter морозы the local feldsher said the indoor temperature had dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. Residents also complained about cramped rooms, poor ventilation and inadequate waiting space for patients.
The dispute in Nyurdor-Kotya is presented as part of a broader drive to cut healthcare costs in Udmurtia. The region is also moving to merge polyclinics in Izhevsk. Andrei Konoval, co-chair of the Action medical union, warned that such changes could affect not only administrative staff but also medical workers. Civic activist Ivan Eliseev linked the process to chronic underfunding, arguing that authorities find it cheaper to build small federally funded FAPs than to maintain full outpatient clinics.
“They could at least have asked us first whether we even need a FAP,” one village resident said.