Firstov Stepan

Firstov

Stepan

Physician, Politician, Social Activist, Associate Member of the World Medical Association

«The most important condition to implement the human right to health is professionally skilled and responsible for their work physicians. To protect a physician means to protect a patient.»

Stepan Firstov

 

Who's Stepan Firstov

Main biography milestones

 

From 1991 to 1995: Lyceum № 11 Faculty of Science, Chelyabinsk;
From 1995 to 2002: Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy, Medical faculty;
From 1996 to 1999: Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy, Military Education Department;
From 2002 to 2003: Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy, Traumatology and orthopedics Department, Hospital Internship at City Hospital № 9, traumatology and orthopedics specialization, Chelyabinsk;
From 2003 to 2010: Orthopedist and Traumatologist doctor, City Hospital № 9, Chelyabinsk city;
From 2010 till now: General Director, Medical clinic FMC in Chelyabinsk city and Miass;
From 2012 to 2015: President of Self-regulated Organisation of noncommercial partnership «Association of Chelyabinsk region private medical organizations MEDSOYUZ»;
From 2013 to 2015: Medicine Advisor Commissioner for Human Rights in Chelyabinsk region;
From 2013 till now: Founder and a Chairman of Organizing Committee of Ural's medical organizations Forum named Health is for everyone;
From 2014 to 2018: Expert at the Public Chamber in Chelyabinsk region;
From 2014 till now: President and Board Member, the first noncommercial Self-regulated Organisation in the Russian Federation among doctors of one specialization «Association of traumatologists and orthopedists of Chelyabinsk region»;
From 2014 to 2018: Consultant at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, A Health Protection, Physical Education and promotion of healthy lifestyle Commission, Moscow city;
From 2016 till now: Board Member, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Council of Self-regulated entrepreneurial and professional activities, Moscow city;
From August 12, 2016 to September 18, 2016: Candidate for deputy election to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the seventh convocation in the Federal list of candidates, nominated by political party of «Russian pensioners' party for justice»;
From 2016 till now: Associate member of the World Medical Association (WMA), Ferney-Voltaire (France);
From 2016 till now: President, Association of miass medical organizations;
From February 9, 2017 till now: Chelyabinsk region branch of «Russian pensioners' party for social justice», Board Chairman;
From April 2017 till now: Member of Central Council «Russian pensioners' Party for social justice», Moscow;
From 2017 till now: Chairman of Organizing Committee of Health is for everyone forum, Chelyabinsk;
From 2017 till now: Chairman of Organizing Committee Conference «Self-regulation in Health», Moscow;
From 2018 till now: General Council Chairman of the Southeast European Medical Forum, Sofia, Bulgaria;
From 2019 till now: Member of the Presidium of the All-Russian public organization «Society of Physicians of Russia», Moscow;
From 2019 till now: Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the traumatologists and orthopedists form, Chelyabinsk;

 

More details 

 

Stepan Firstov was born in the April 3, 1978 in Chelyabinsk city. My mother is a kindergarten teacher and father is a painter (he has died when I was four of age). My mother still carefully keeps my favourite toy — a plush dog, smeared with zelyonka (skin antiseptic of green colour), which I treated.

 

Why I became a doctor

 

Later I asked myself many times: Why I have such a strong passion to become a doctor? Why have I never had a doubt that I should enter the medical institute? No secret, there are talents gifted form birth, genetically. There are many physicians among my relatives. I was not surprised when found out my grandfather could stop bleeding whispering a spell.

Finished my seven years comprehensive school education and in parallel my musical school (by bayan classes), in 1991 I entered without any help one of the most prestigious education institute in my city — famous lyceum № 11 whereat was opened the first science faculty in Chelyabinsk. I came to the director's cabinet, wrote down an application, passed preliminary exams and … entered! 

I was all in study. It was difficult but very interesting: agree, not everyone would be able to dissect a real heart at the anatomical extra classes of the medical institute in the eighth grade! After finishing school, I easily entered the Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy, and started studying my future profession. Also studied at Military Education Department. How without it? In general, I had to study not only at my desk. First-aid room was the second home for me during my student's years. My older friend worked hereat as traumatologist and orthopedist. I was trusted to make my first small operation of primary surgical treatment of hand wound at the age of twenty. So, I had no choice problems of place to work after my graduation and intership. Came to the traumatology and orthopedics centre of the City Hospital № 9 which was the only department in the city of Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre for Restorative Traumotology and Orthopedics of the RF Ministry of healthcare in Kurgan and worked hard for seven years. 

 

At the City Hospital


While working at a municipal clinic, I realized the thing: our physicians are wonderful people. They are smart, real professionals and well-educated. But! In fact, they are only small screws in unwieldy and awkward healthcare system. Always wanted and want now healthcare system in Russia to be different. We see how clean and beautiful are there in offices, banks, supermarkets and drugstores. And why is the city hospital representing mostly so sad and miserable picture? It cannot be like that anymore!

Firstly, I wanted to organize my life in another way staying at position of a doctor. In my spare time from main job (


it was not too much: a number of night shifts counted till twelve per month), and I had to start a private business. Remember, during one-night shift when amputating a leg, I heard an alarm of my car. Later it turned out — class in my car was broken and car player was stolen. Building a car-parking was offered by me to hospital management. And it is still working nowadays. Doctors do not worry about their vehicles anymore.

When constantly every day you face with need to provide emergency medical assistance for severe injuries, unwittingly you learn to make decisions quickly and at that moment. And your own business teaches you to do the same. And one of my main life decisions was to realize that I need my own clinic to be opened. I understood that had to do it despite everything.

 

My own clinic opening

 

To be honest, I still do not got the fact, how could I obtain a license for the right to carry out medical activities in a hospital (at that moment it was the first private traumatological and orthopedics clinic in Chelyabinsk) following all requirements without any help, lawyer, economist, for my own money. I clearly realized only the one thing — private clinic should be opened! Got a premises to rent, made a repair in hospital rooms. Started, so to speak, in the same hospital where used to work. I must admit, there were many difficulties at start-up. First and foremost, a bureaucratic one.

Believe it or not, but I had no idea in my mind of earning money opening private clinic in 2010. Yes, I knew the fact that in Western countries traumatologists and orthopedists earn enough money. Private clinics bring good income. And, no doubt, this fact gave me a kind of hope, that my business would flourish. But I had not any business plan. I had only my inner understanding that it was necessary to do.

The most loyal friends-physicians (the best physicians in the city) followed me and my idea, as a result they built a backbone of my team. I knew perfectly well they did not follow the idea of earning much money at that moment. They shared my beliefs: A physician shouldn't work in a system of direct administrative control principle. A person lack of rights coming to work as a robot cannot be responsible for lives of other people a priori.

As a head of my clinic today of course I hold regular meetings with my physicians. In difficult situations councils are organized. But from certain time I have never interfered in a sanctum sanctorum process of medical activity. 

Today there are three generations of physicians sharing knowledge and experience to one another working at my clinic. It is impossible to work without experience and knowledge sharing in our business! I often visit different regions in Russia and sure not many others use the same organization of work approach like in my own clinic. 

A branch of FMC clinic is opened in a picturesque Miass town. With the help of my colleagues and partners we were able to provide the clinic with an
expensive equipment, to get a license for many types of medical assistance (including blood transfusions and use of drugs). I want you to be noticed there is clinic in Miass town equipped with all high-tech medicine facilities. I am absolutely happy that we entered compulsory health insurance system since the first days of work and by the third year number of patients treated under compulsory health insurance system was tripled.

Learning a modern organization of healthcare, I have simply found out: it is not enough to do surgery. Successive rehabilitation, outpatient monitoring and periodic monitoring of the course of chronic diseases are needed. In view of the foregoing, we can speak of full-fledged traumatologic and orthopedic help assistance. I develop my clinic direct in this way.


Under my control there is the first and the only private first-aid room in Chelyabinsk to work. This first-aid room has a complete closed cycle of treatment. We have organized outpatient observation. Orthopedic pathology is also often found during the first stage of doctor's appointment. There are hospital doctors to treat it. And after discharging, a patient returns back to hospital to have aftercare and rehabilitation. A patient on readmission is still examined as an outpatient by orthopedist. 

 

Self-regulation of medical organizations.

 

When at the market of medical services in Chelyabinsk appeared medical clinic FMC, the majority of Chelyabinsk private clinics heads realized that consolidation was needed. That is why, my creating the first Ural's Federal region self-regulated organization of private clinics offer was accepted successfully. Self-regulated organization of noncommercial partnership «Association of Chelyabinsk region private medical organizations «MEDSOYUZ» became the second child for me. You would like to ask; why do we need such an organization? In fact, the real leader, and in our case he is also a doctor learns all his life. That is why Self-regulated organization turns to be a kind of an education platform whereat heads of private medical clinics talking with one another and with another private clinics heads of other regions can improve its legal and economic level of knowledge as well as lead a constructive dialogue with colleagues and authorities to solve current issues. Over the last years of this Self-regulated organisation activity more than 30 different events were held including The First and The Second Forum of Ural's private medical organisations, which unites participants from many Russian regions and neighboring countries. 


But time goes and at the Third Forum of Ural's private medical organisations a new Association of medical organisations «Novomed» loudly declared about itself. It has a long way to go which surely will be connected with self-regulation. 

 

Self-regulated Association of physicians

 

Communicating with healthcare system experts and improving my own educational level I came to an conclusion that today we have a strong need in doctors' association by principle of their major no matter whereat they are working, in particular, at municipal or public hospital. Firstly, it will inevitably lead to well-qualified expert community formation needed so much all over the country. Secondly, it improves level of doctors' responsibility for patients and regains prestige of profession for young people and as a result facilitates the return of the physicians in the profession and begins to stuff the healthcare system with more qualified employees and improves quality level of medical services.

What are difference between Russian and a foreign doctor (and, by the way, a foreign doctor can be not only from a developed western country)? For all doctor's activities a head of a hospital is responsible. For example, there is a medical error. The main expert during trial process is an official from the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, I am absolutely sure, an expert in the situation can be only the best and the most experienced practitioners recognised by professional community. Moreover, for example, a gynecologist is not competent to questions of traumatologist and backwards. This is nature of our job.

Self-regulated association of physicians in one speciality was created in Chelyabinsk and names Self-regulated organisation of noncommercial partnership «Association of traumatologists and orthopedists of Chelyabinsk region». Our experience turns to be useful for colleagues, and since 2016 the professional self-regulated organisation of phlebologists which unites doctors from all over the country works. We are ready to support the same physicians' organisations in another regions. I am glad I have mutual understanding with my colleagues in this very question. Most of them have already realized that in Russia doctor should be a subject of law.

It is widely spoken of healthcare system reform. But it is not the reform that should be introduced from the government. A start is to unite physicians by their professional basis and initiative, in this case, should be from practitioners. As a result, everyone benefits and, mostly, patients. With the support and control of corporate community a doctor will treat better.

***

Sometimes I hear: «There was the best medical services in Soviet Union. You should not break this system and create a new one». And I am partly agree with this statement. Indeed, the Soviet Union Healthcare system based upon identification of gifted doctors and their education considering principle «from teacher to pupil» worked very well. But, unfortunately, it is totally destroyed nowadays. We are to take the fact the world has changed and our country is different now. Today not me, but people devoted their life to medicine endow with a great authority, are talking of the necessity of the post-Soviet Union Healthcare system reform. And it is, in fact, a quarter of century is in chaos. A clear Soviet Union system of prevention and clinical examination is lost. And to reconstruct it is an utopia. I am absolutely sure, the healthcare system of modern Russia should differ from the Soviet Union one. And it should be vital, working and patient-oriented.