Crook claims first class cure

Photo: Erakogu

Man behind bars for drug crime thinks he will lose his foot. Doctors deem him malingerer.

«This is my last chance. Next, it may come to pass that my foot is cut off,» says Rain Gustavson, doing time in Viru Prison for crime related to drugs. Unlike other inmates, he claims no innocence. Mr Gustavson only wants the right treatment.

«I’m calling you from Viru Prison and my name is Rene Vainik,» said a voice over the phone, at the start of February. It was a lifelong prisoner calling. Estonia has 37 of such. Mr Vainik, posing as a preacher, killed an elderly lady who lived alone. To get vodka money.

«We have a man here, Rain Gustavson, whose one leg is soon starting to rot at the end of it. Swollen up, twice the size it should be. The foot has a large ulcer and the person is not receiving treatment. Something must be done, somebody better do something,» announced Mr Vainik.

«Why isn’t Rain Gustavson calling me himself?»

«I’ll invite him, at once,» promised Mr Vainik. A moment later, Mr Gustavson (32) was on the prone.

«I’m so messed up with my health issues, don’t know what to do,» said he. «In the medical department, of the prison, I will probably get help no more.» From the talk by Mr Gustavson, one gets the impression the medical staff is indifferent. The indifference has led Mr Gustavson to a hunger strike, as hopes of adequate cure begun to fade.

Multiple punishments

Rain Gustavson is a well-known crook, led to a life of crime by drugs – money needed to buy these. Thus, the young man became a rationalised rascal. Two years ago, the popular ETV programme Pealtnägija (Eyewitness) did a long, 15 minute clip on Mr Gustavson. Using a driver’s licence, the crook had stolen a common working man’s identity, taken over the man’s bank account and gotten loads of SMS loans.

Criminally, he’s been punished eleven times. The last time was for possession of drugs. For that, he now sits in jail, to be released in two years, on April 12^th of 2016. Last summer, he was near to be released early. Even with 14 disciplinary offences under his belt in prison, the prison was in favour of his release. The plan was cancelled due to pure technicality – Mr Gustavson had no definite dwelling place.

«Of course I’m a crook and rightfully punished. But that won’t mean I should just die between these prison walls here,» said the man.

According to Mr Gustavson, he’s got a benign blood vessels tumour, a haemangioma, on the right foot. «I have a flat foot and the problem already started since 2004. Having gotten the diagnosis in North Estonian Regional Hospital, I begun to get proper treatment. Until I was jailed,» said he.

The feet started to cause trouble 11 months ago. «Now I have come to where I can only move about on a crutch, aches like hell.»

Mr Gustavson’s health trouble is general knowledge in Viru Prison’s medical department. He was prescribed strong painkillers and vitamin treatment. «Medical department head says it’s super with me. The prison, he says, is no sanatorium.» Sounds like black humour, considering that the person, for 11 months, has a six centimetre long and three centimetre wide ulcer, on his foot.

Half a year ago, Mr Gustavson started getting strong painkillers. His current 24-hour routine is two shots of Ketonal, two doses of the painkiller Tramadol, and three to six Ibuprofen pills according to need. «Due to these medicaments, I a little stoned all the time. And I’d rather not start telling you about my digestion, after such volumes.»

Painkillers treat no disease. Any doctor will tell you that. Mr Gustavson claims he’s darkened the prison doctors’ doors and gotten himself five-six differing diagnoses. Most of them think, said Mr Gustavson, that he is exaggerating his complaints or outright malingering. In January, as the pain got more tormenting, he had to get himself crutches to move about. According to Mr Gustavson, he cannot move the toes on his foot. Seeing no solution, in mid-January Mr Gustavson declared hunger strike.

Better cure hope lost

On February 5^th, Mr Gustavson was invited for special examination by the prison doctor. «In March, last year, the same doctor almost threw me out of his office. Now, seeing my foot, he got to groaning oh my! what do we do and maybe the foot ought to be cut off altogether.»

On day eleven of the hunger strike, Mr Gustavson was told he’d go for a special visit, on February 6^th, to Ida-Viru Central Hospital. Regarding that, the prison has another story to tell: the extraordinary visit, they say, was appointed earlier. Makes no big difference, anyway.

«There, I was received by a surgeon who basically threw me out. Said why do I come to him with trouble like this; I was supposed to have a skin disease and actually be malingering, after all. Thus, I’m stuck again.» According to Mr Gustavson, he needs to treat the ulcer with Braunovidon ointment. «They’ve told another guy here to put the same salve on boils on his back. For seven months I have treated the wound with it, no result.»

«Me being a crook would not mean I should not have the right to adequate treatment. The nurse who came to do me the injections said my health problem is the daily talk at the medical department, as no one knows what to do with me. But they don’t do anything.»

As seen in response by Ministry of Justice, not much hope of more effective treatment for Mr Gustavson.

Comment

Indrek Oro, oncologist

Braunovidon is a totally decent ointment used to treat ulcers. So, in use of it there’s nothing wrong, treatment-wise. The amount of pain killers is another matter; these to alleviate the pain, but the cause of the pain ought to be determined ant then treated. The person being sent from jail to see a surgeon seems appropriate, as a patient like this must be sent to a wound specialist. By the description, one gets the impression it’s a big swelling and that sounds bad. From a distance, not having seen the patient, it’s difficult to assess the situation.

Official comment by press representative of the Ministry of Justice:

We cannot disclose detailed information regarding the health of the imprisoned person; however, over the past year he has been to see a doctor or a nurse every week. In January, he went to see a surgeon, having been registered for an appointment at the end of last year already. There is no link between hunger strike threats and seeing the surgeon. The prisoners are guaranteed medical care both the medical staff of the prison and outsourced medical services. Prison health care is being supervised by competent state authorities like Health Board, State Agency of Medicines, and the Chancellor of Justice.