European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Assignment inside Moscow sunlight floods in s window Bac lighting a Young patient at Moscow s St. Vladimir children a Hospital. A picture of the girls grandmother is on the  medical system in shambles dedicated staff at St. Vladimir a accepts every child brought to the door the 4-year-old boy lies in the old Iron Hospital bed Reading a Book about the mighty Tarzan. Quot there s no Hope. He might die any time Quot said or. Eugene Alekseev a urologist at St Vladimir children s Hospital Moscow s largest. The boy is from a Distant province. Quot doctors there did t perform the kidney operation in the proper time so we can t help him. He s going to  the boy s father his brow creased with worry sits at the head of the bed. He Waits for his son to die. The boy has been at St. Vladimir s for six months. Quot we have some difficult cases Here Quot Alekseev said. Quot some children have been operated on in their localities. Very often we have to improve what has been done due to Lack o equipment or Lack of experience. It demands a lot from  Alekseev believes in the same hippocratic oath As american doctors. Yet while they make thousands of dollars a month he s paid about $10. Quot enough to die from starvation Quot to jumps the doctor whose research with borrowed japanese equipment has appeared in medical journals. Alekseev is one of 400 doctors who make their daily rounds at this 115-year-old Hospital. St. Vladimir s shows its age. Outside the sprawling Brick Complex is crumbling. One of the main entry doors hangs Loose on its hinges. Large sections of the Hospital Are abandoned windowless Ander. Eugene Alekseev is head surgeon at St. Vladimir a. Empty except Lor colourful children s drawings on the Walls. Braces support a Walkway corridor connecting two buildings. Alekseev s Wing is neat and clean but primitive by Western standards. Quot what we re lacking is equipment Quot he says. Alekseev said the japanese equipment he used for medical research in 1985 was leased from the soviet military. It is no longer at the Hospital. Quot this is a Paradox we have Quot he explained. Although communism has lost its youngster recovers from plastic surgery following a jaw operation. Stranglehold on the country hospitals that serve the privileged or workers at specific agencies or organizations a such As the military a still exist and have the Best equipment. St. Vladimir a created to serve the poor accepts any child up to age 15. All illnesses with the exception of cancer Are treated. The Hospital also specializes in emergency care. No child is turned away. Quot one of the peculiarities of the whole situation is that doctors Here Are very Good Quot says Tatiana Zhdanova coordinator for Carent International a newly formed . Project that helps Supply Hospital equipment to the former soviet Union Here she says even outdated equipment is like a Star wars Quot technology Quot the need is just immense. Maybe it would be right to say that because the doctors have so few resources at their disposal they have to be even More  on this Day 750 of the 1,000 Beds Are occupied. Plastic surgeons Are Down the Hall doing reconstructive surgery on a 14-year-old�?Ts face. Quot a lot of children born with deformities come Here Quot says Oleg paches a plastic surgeon who also is the Hospital administrator. A Mother hugs her Young daughter when the doctor walks into the room. Recently he performed minor surgery on the girl. Quot i am very grateful to you Quot she tells him her eyes filling with tears. Quot you be brought Back our Joy. For years we have tried to find something like this and finally we have  but paches does no to have what he wants. Quot what we really need is monitoring equipment Quot he says. Zhdanova says conditions at some of the 200 hospitals scattered about the City Are tragic. Quot there might be four patients or As Many As 12 to a room Quot she says. Quot it has grown worse in the past few years Hanai Imp nah Nelv has and Minev  Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday March 25, 1992