“Ambulance workers beat up a patient”: Health Ministry warns about fake video circulating online

Tengrinews.kz – A video showing ambulance workers kicking a man lying on the street has been spreading online. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Healthcare has issued a statement regarding the incident.

What happened

Earlier, a video appeared on social media and in the media showing ambulance staff pushing a presumably sleeping man off a bench with their feet. The video claims that employees of Kazakhstan’s ambulance service allegedly abandoned a patient outdoors without providing medical assistance.

Official statement of the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan

“The analysis of the video showed that the people in the footage are not employees of the Kazakhstani ambulance service: their uniforms lack the state and departmental insignia that are mandatory for all emergency medical teams in Kazakhstan. The color scheme and style of clothing also do not match the unified standard used in Kazakhstan,” the Ministry’s statement said.

It is noted that the video shared online has had an audio track deliberately added by the creators to enhance the feeling of presence and provoke negative emotions from viewers.

“Using such techniques is a typical manipulation method designed to distort perceptions and increase emotional pressure on the audience. This further confirms that the video was created not to inform, but to amplify negativity and discredit emergency services,” officials stated.

Additionally, it has been confirmed that the incident took place on March 11, 2024, in Volgograd, Russia, and it was widely covered by Russian media at the time. Following an investigation, those responsible were held accountable.

“Thus, using an old and already investigated incident to falsely associate it with Kazakhstani services is a deliberate attempt to mislead citizens,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry urged page administrators and content creators to respect Kazakh citizens’ right to accurate information, verify sources before publishing, and avoid spreading materials aimed at intentionally discrediting state, social, and medical workers.