After the revocation of one of the licenses of the scandalous Odesa clinic Odrex, the Verkhovna Rada began to talk about the urgent need to consider the situation – both Odrex's activities themselves and the gaps in the regulation of private medicine. Read about whether the state is ready to respond to the challenges created by the "Odrex Case" and what consequences this may have for the entire healthcare system in the UNN material.
The "Odrex Case" is gaining new momentum. The Verkhovna Rada plans to initiate a meeting of the relevant medical committee with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Health. People's Deputy Viktoria Vagner told UNN about this in an exclusive comment.
There are indeed many questions in this area. I will initiate a discussion on this issue (the scandal that arose around the private clinic Odrex – ed.) with the Ministry of Health at the committee.
Members of the relevant committee may also discuss the issue of regulating private medicine. Namely, the ability of private clinic owners to obtain medical licenses for an innumerable number of legal entities. Which, in the case of the "Odrex Case," allowed the clinic to continue operating even after the Ministry of Health commission revoked the medical license issued to "Dim Medytsyny" LLC – a legal entity involved in criminal cases regarding the death of a patient. According to UNN, the clinic's administration refused to provide the Ministry of Health commission with medical documentation. This may indicate its deliberate concealment and Odrex's admission that the documentation does not meet the regulator's requirements or may show signs of falsification.
Despite the fact that the medical license of "Dim Medytsyny" LLC has been revoked, Odrex continues to provide medical services to Ukrainians. After all, it has at least two more valid licenses for other legal entities. One of which the Ministry of Health issued in the summer of 2025 – already after the start of active investigative actions regarding the death of patient Adnan Kivan within the clinic's walls.
Former Deputy Prosecutor General, lawyer Oleksiy Bahanets, in a comment to UNN, emphasized that under the current circumstances, the investigation has more than enough grounds to initiate a full inspection by the Ministry of Health of all companies associated with "Odrex," and not just the one involved in criminal proceedings.
According to Bahanets, the current model of the clinic's operation – when, against the backdrop of criminal suspicions and a revoked license, the medical institution continues its activities under other legal entities – actually makes real regulation of private medicine impossible and creates a dangerous precedent for the entire market. The lawyer explains that when an enterprise against which criminal proceedings have been initiated avoids responsibility due to new legal shells, the state is obliged to react.
If there is a company that has caused harm to people's health, or even deaths, and moreover, there is a criminal proceeding, then, of course, all measures and all attempts to eliminate violations of the law will, of course, be addressed to the enterprise where this occurred. And the registration of new (legal entities – ed.) and the continuation of similar illegal practices – a new reaction is needed. If we have data that the same persons who committed a criminal offense are practically continuing their illegal activities... Of course, this reason is more than sufficient.
Whether the Ministry of Health plans to initiate an extraordinary inspection of other legal entities associated with the Odrex clinic is still unknown. However, against the backdrop of criminal proceedings, a revoked license, and dozens of potential victims, it appears that the medical institution is in quite comfortable conditions and may enjoy some leniency from the regulator.
This situation may be influenced by a possible conflict of interest between the management of Odrex and the Ministry of Health. In particular, it is known that the clinic's general director, Tigran Arutyunyan, joined the Ministry of Health's working group in July 2023, which was involved in developing policy in the field of private medicine. It was personally headed by Minister Viktor Liashko.
The participation of the head of a private medical institution in shaping decisions affecting the entire industry is not in itself a violation. However, in a situation where this clinic is involved in criminal proceedings, tries to avoid inspections, and continues to operate through other legal entities, such proximity to Minister Viktor Liashko calls into question the impartiality and objectivity of his decisions.
The "Odrex Case" has effectively become a test of transparency and maturity of the state control system in private medicine. And at the same time – a test for Minister Viktor Liashko: is the Ministry of Health capable of acting independently, decisively, and in the interests of the patient? How the Ministry of Health and Viktor Liashko personally will show themselves in this situation is an open question.