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Russian pensioner burns self to death over disability certificate

(RIA-Novosti, Blagoveshchensk, 15.04.11) A 60-year-old man in Russia's Far East died on Friday after setting himself on fire at a hospital to protest against doctors not granting him a disability certificate, a senior hospital official said.

The man was a frequent visitor to the hospital and had repeatedly asked for a disability certificate, often in a threatening or abusive manner, said Andrei Gorshkov, the deputy head of the hospital in the Amur Region town of Belogorsk.

"Doctors repeatedly explained to him that they do not deal with this issue individually and it would be necessary to undergo a medical and social examination. The man did not even want to hear about the division of responsibilities and believed that he could get the certificate from any office," Gorshkov said.

The man set himself on fire outside the head doctor's office and died of his injuries after being admitted to the hospital.

The incident is now the subject of an investigation.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/