A 72-year-old resident of the East Kazakhstan region suffered a serious complication during treatment at the Uba Sanatorium, located in the village of Vydrikha, Shemonaikha district. According to relatives, during an acupuncture procedure, the woman's lung was punctured.
According to ORDA, the sanatorium is a municipal state institution situated on the banks of the Uba River, 80 kilometres from Ust-Kamenogorsk. The institution specialises in spa and resort treatment for pensioners and people with disabilities, receiving up to 5,000 patients annually.
As the victim's daughter, Natalya Bugrova, recounted, during a session of acupuncture her mother felt a sharp pain, but the doctor performing the procedure did not respond to her complaints. The needles were only removed after about 20 minutes, after which the woman was sent back to her room.
The following day, the patient's condition deteriorated. Sanatorium staff called an ambulance from the Shemonaikha district, suspecting heart problems. Later, relatives took the woman to the city hospital in Ust-Kamenogorsk themselves, where she required emergency medical care.
An X-ray examination revealed that the patient had a post-traumatic left-sided pneumothorax. Doctors performed a pleural puncture, removing approximately 1.5 litres of air from the chest cavity. Following the procedure, the woman's condition stabilised.
The victim's daughter said she had filed a police report regarding the incident. The East Kazakhstan region police department confirmed that on 19 December, a corresponding complaint was received by the Shemonaikha district police department. The collected materials were sent to the Department of the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control of the East Kazakhstan Region.
Meanwhile, the regional health department had not provided official comments at the time of publication. According to relatives, representatives from the sanatorium and the relevant authorities have also not been in contact with them.