A conflict is brewing in Petropavlovsk over the so-called "Doctors' House" — a five-storey service block where dozens of medical workers were housed 15 years ago. At the time, the regional governor personally handed the doctors the keys to their flats, promising that the accommodation was provided for the duration of their work in medicine. But today the situation has changed: the building is to be emptied, and doctors risk being left without a roof over their heads.
According to ORDA, top-category cardiologist Dilmurat Shavdulov has devoted years to saving lives. Now his family, along with other residents, is receiving eviction notices.
"Nobody set any time limits. So we were sure our housing was guaranteed. But in May last year, they suddenly started handing out eviction notices. They didn't even hold a meeting. They just said: if you don't leave voluntarily, we'll evict you through the courts," said the doctor's wife, Dinara Omurzakova.
Not only medical workers received the notices, but also four families of cultural workers, who were also given flats in this building. However, the authorities unexpectedly allowed them to privatise their homes. A few days after the doctors received their notices, the cultural workers were able to register the flats as their own property. What's more, one of them has already been sold on.
Many doctors moved here in the early 2010s, when large relocation allowances for young specialists were not yet available. They have worked honestly for years in the healthcare system, but now find themselves without housing.
"Those who could — bought a place as soon as they got the notice. But we, for example, can't. We spent several years saving for a deposit, invested it in a financial pyramid and lost everything. Plus we're still paying off a loan. Two more years to go," one woman recounts.
The residents' stories vary: some are raising a child alone, some have just returned from maternity leave, others are caring for a disabled relative. For many, this service flat is their only home.
For two years the families tried to prove their right to live there, but the court proceedings proved unsuccessful. The first lawsuit challenging the housing commission's actions was dismissed without consideration. The second — seeking privatisation — was accepted, but with a caveat: the building is registered as a hostel.
In such cases, privatisation is only possible if there is no record of the housing being provided temporarily. The old contracts lacked this, but now the authorities cite the regulations on the "Doctors' House", which were only adopted in October 2023.
Recently, Court No. 2 of Petropavlovsk issued a ruling to evict six families of doctors and their relatives. Only one family was granted a deferral — until the end of the heating season.
"To uphold the claimant's demands for the eviction of Dilmurat Shavdulov, Renat Bizhanov, Angela Vetrova, Altynkyz Akanova, Tamara Garkusha and members of their families from the residential premises of the 'Doctors' House' without providing alternative housing. To evict Sayfiddin Abdrakhmanov and members of his family at the end of the heating season without providing alternative housing," the court ruling states.
The medical workers intend to fight for their rights to the very end. They are considering setting up tents near the "Doctors' House" and even going on strike.