The parents of a schoolboy who became disabled after being vaccinated at school have been given compensation – some 20 years later.

And despite the wait, the amount is barely more than GBP 20,000.

The then 13-year-old boy, Andrei Volkov, from the city of Perm in Russia, was given a vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis in 1996 and it left him disabled for life after a rare allergic reaction.

But now his parents have finally managed to win compensation for moral damages 20 years after the fact.

The children’s polyclinic, where the paramedic who gave the injection worked, has paid RUB 1 million (GBP 8,500) to Andrei’s mother, not named, and still has to pay another RUB 1.5 million (GBP 12,775) to his father Yuri.

At the time, Andrei’s parents had not given their consent for their son to be vaccinated.

But the school had nonetheless invited the 7th-grade students to have a second jab against tick-borne encephalitis, with the kids having already been administered one before.

Russian media said that Andrei did not respond well to the first vaccine, but when it came time to have the second jab, he collapsed onto the floor and did not get back up.

The paramedic reportedly delayed calling an ambulance, with Andrei saying that by the time it arrived, he felt numbness spreading down his back and legs.

It was later revealed that Andrei had suffered a rare post-vaccine complication that left doctors just eight minutes to respond if they were to hope to stop the adverse effects from setting in.

But the paramedic, instead of calling for help, spent an hour “treating” Andrei with a cotton swab and ammonia.

Andrei was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life as a result.

He has spent his life in and out of hospitals, having to take handfuls of pills at a time, due to problems he has developed with his kidneys.

Andrei, now 39, has also developed bedsores, with dad Yuri saying: “We were in the hospital, and for the first time I smelt an unpleasant smell near my son’s bed.

“If bedsores are not treated every day, everything quickly begins to rot.

“They took them out for us, but they reappear.

“Sometimes you take care of them yourself and you touch the bone with tweezers. To save Andrei, we bought special, expensive pillows for a wheelchair.”

And the dad added: “He is on benefits, but what’s the point?

“It neither covers going to a clinic, nor getting the necessary medicines.

“Doctors prescribe us medication, and when you go to the pharmacy, there are only paid ones, there are no free ones, you have to buy everything for cash.

“And for free furatsilin {an antibiotic ointment] I sometimes have to wander to the other end of the city. In the free list of medicines there are bandages and plasters, but what we need is not.

“And if you stick these free plasters on, then you will tear them off along with the skin.

“Is it possible with our bedsores? I’d rather buy everything myself so as not to cripple my son.”

Andrei’s condition has meant that he was never able to finish his studies.

He dreamed of becoming a pilot and would constantly put together model aircraft with tweezers.

Now his main source of entertainment is playing video games and chatting with his friends online.

The polyclinic that was responsible for administering the vaccine pays Andrei a living wage but his dad complained that they often ‘forget’ to make the payments, sometimes for up to six months.

While his son was still a schoolboy, during the break between hospitals, Andrey’s father tried for two years to fight for the truth in court.

An initial examination conducted in Perm concluded that the doctors were not to blame for what had happened and that it was an accident.

But the plaintiff, together with his lawyer, insisted on an independent examination.

This took place in Moscow and the capital’s experts gave a completely different conclusion: physicians conducting vaccinations must clearly understand that the vaccine can cause an allergic reaction.

And they always need to have anti-shock and anti-allergic therapy on hand and apply them immediately. But Andrei, instead, sniffed ammonia for an hour.

In the early 2000s, judicial practice in medical cases was just being formed, so the amounts collected in favour of the injured patients were insignificant, Russian media explained

In addition, the courts refused to compensate for harm to their next of kin, so the first court awarded only RUB 30,000 (GBP 250) to Andrei.

The ridiculous amount was immediately spent on medication, but after more than 20 years, both Andrei’s mother and father, as parents whose child became a lifelong disabled person, decided to file two more lawsuits against the children’s clinic, as under Russian law, there is no statute of limitations to do so.

Andrei’s mother sued for a million rubles two years ago, first in the district court, and then the decision was confirmed by a regional court.

And the other day, Andrei’s father was awarded compensation for moral damages.

Yuri said: “I asked for RUB 3 million [GBP 25,425] but the court reduced the amount to one and a half million.

“Despite this, we are satisfied, because now we can find an apartment from which our son himself can go outside, as, alas, we won’t live forever.

“Words cannot express the hardships we have endured over the years.

“Our son is in a wheelchair, he has no family, no children.

“And instead of being helped in our old age, we ourselves are forced to help him with everything.”