A man protesting outside the health ministry in Moscow at the poor state of healthcare in Russia

An ominous mould crept along the crumbling walls. Water dripped from the ceiling into plastic buckets that provided a rare splash of colour amid the gloom. Blood and urine-stained pillows lay in an untidy pile.

It could have been the setting for a post-apocalyptic film. Yet this dilapidated building in Bogdanovich, a small town in Russia’s Ural region, is a state hospital laundry facility.

“Once, there was no hot water here for an entire year,” said Nadezhda Shchipaeva, 49, who has worked at the laundry since 2001. She said that frequent problems with antiquated washing machines mean staff often have to scrub sheets by hand. Sometimes, there is no washing powder.

The hospital laundry workers of Bogdanovich complain of having no hot water for a year. One, Nadezhda Shchipaeva, 49, said the work had ruined her health

Workers also revealed that they are under orders to clean the disposable sheets that