All for the sake of mobilization. Why Russian authorities ordered doctors to record conversations with patients

In Russian polyclinics, doctors' work computers are being wiretapped. Now all conversations between a doctor and a patient will be recorded. Representatives of the Russian authorities can connect to a doctor's computer at any time and listen to what he or she is talking about with patients.

The latter complain that this violates their rights. However, the Russian authorities claim that everything has been done to improve the quality of service.

Read more about this in the OBOZ.UA article.

Every Russian doctor is obliged to record a conversation with a patient

In Moscow, all conversations between a doctor and a patient at a doctor's appointment are now recorded following the order on audio control of medical appointments.

The essence of the innovation is that now every doctor, as soon as a patient enters his or her office, must press a special button on the work computer and start recording the appointment. Starting with the words "Hello, doctor" and ending with goodbye.

Russian authorities claim that such records are necessary to improve communication between doctor and patient. Polyclinic managers have been ordered to ensure that the records are kept in a place inaccessible to unauthorized persons, separately from electronic medical records, for a month. The records will supposedly be anonymized, meaning that the names of the patient and doctor will not be indicated.

However, in clinics where records are already being kept, the health department receives doctors' work schedules. Therefore, it will not be difficult to calculate the time of the appointment. In addition, Moscow doctors are now prohibited from addressing patients as "man" or "woman," but only by their first and last names. This means that there will still be individual data on the recordings.

But no one will take permission from visitors to record audio.

"It's just the 37th year!"

The innovation caused discontent among Muscovites, though not all of them. Only 48% expressed a negative attitude to this decision.

In their chats, doctors wrote that they were shocked to learn about the order.

"To say that we are stunned is an understatement. My doctor even started swearing when she heard about it. Now they have removed the gynecologist's appointment from the order, and before that, we had to make an appointment even there. Okay, but will the urologist keep records?" Svitlana, a nurse at the Kyiv polyclinic, is indignant.

"We couldn't believe that they could come up with such a thing! A patient came to us and asked if it was true that we were recording the conversation. I told him it was true. He silently turned around and left. It's just the 37th year when every hole was eavesdropping on you, and now it's made legal. I think that now many people will just go to private clinics to avoid such humiliation. No matter what they say about the safe storage of recordings, sooner or later they will appear on social media or somewhere else. They will be used to blackmail people. I'm just sure that all these records will end up in the "right hands" of our special services and the police," the Moscow doctor is indignant.

With an eye to mobilization

Moscow residents themselves write that such trash will in no way help protect them from the rudeness of doctors.

"If you complain about a doctor and there is really something on the recording, they will immediately 'lose' it or say that there was a technical failure. You won't find the truth anyway," says pensioner Tetiana Prokopivna.

However, in some polyclinics, doctors have already passed passwords to their computers to the management. They say that in this way, the head doctor or even the health department will be able to control the reception, connect to the computer, and listen to everything that happens in the office.

Many Russians are convinced that such records in doctors' offices are one of the links to the upcoming mass mobilization. In this way, the special services will track those who want to avoid being sent to war and are trying to negotiate with a doctor for a certificate, diagnosis, etc.

"Russians are already used to the fact that denunciation, snitching, and surveillance are rampant in the country. They know that even an extra word in a parental chat can land you in jail. That's why the news that doctors' offices will be recorded did not cause much of a reaction. People will go to the clinic less often and won't say unnecessary things – that's all. But no one will be outraged in Russia anymore," said Nikolai, a Moscow doctor who asked not to be identified.

The decryption of such a huge number of records will be done with the help of artificial intelligence. Therefore, it will be very easy to control statements about the so-called CWO, war, abortion, LGBT, and other sensitive topics.