For over a year, a scandal has been unfolding concerning the death of patient Adnan Kivan at the Odesa clinic "Odrex." During this time, a criminal case was opened, and suspicions were served to doctors – oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska and surgeon Vitaliy Rusakov. In addition, statements emerged from relatives of other patients of the medical facility who died at the clinic, as well as those who directly suffered due to improper care. However, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine pretends that there is no problem, writes UNN.
Odrex scandal
On October 25, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced that the Main Investigation Department of the National Police is investigating the circumstances of a patient's death after treatment at a medical facility in Odesa.
According to media reports, this refers to the death of local businessman-developer Adnan Kivan, who underwent treatment at the "Odrex" clinic from May to October 2024.
The OPG noted that two doctors were notified of suspicion of improper performance of professional duties, which led to the patient's death (Part 1, Article 140 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). It was later revealed that these were Vitaliy Rusakov, head of the surgical department, and oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska.
Investigators, based on expert conclusions, believe that the actions of these two doctors led to the patient's death.
The suspected doctors provided him with medical care. As confirmed by the commission forensic medical examination, during the provision of medical care, there was no proper response to signs of complications and no necessary measures were taken for its timely treatment. Experts concluded that medical error, improper performance of their professional duties by doctors due to negligent attitude towards them are in a direct causal link with the patient's death.
The investigation believes that during the provision of medical care, the medics made significant mistakes, as a result of which the patient developed sepsis, which, against the background of the oncological process, led to death.
According to UNN sources, surgeon Rusakov did not prescribe antibiotics to the patient after the operation and subsequently ignored obvious symptoms of sepsis. In addition, the doctors performed a number of procedures that were contraindicated for the patient at that time.
The businessman died on October 27, 2024.
The clinic, however, insists that their doctors are highly qualified specialists and act according to protocols.
The scandal gained momentum after other victims began to speak out publicly: relatives of patients who died at the clinic, as well as those who survived but, in their opinion, lost their health as a result of treatment at Odrex. People point to systematic instances of falsification of medical documentation and extortion of funds at the clinic.
Ministry of Health's reaction - lack of reaction
Despite the criminal case, suspicions against doctors, and complaints from other victims about the actions of "Odrex" doctors, the Ministry of Health, led by Viktor Liashko, stubbornly pretends that there is no problem. Over the year, the department has not conducted a single inspection of the medical facility's compliance with licensing conditions.
Moreover, throughout this time, there has not even been a single public reaction from Minister Liashko to the scandal, despite the fact that the number of victims who dared to publicly tell their stories is growing exponentially, which indicates the systemic nature of the violations.
And in general, the question arises: how can a clinic, which patients and relatives of the deceased massively complain about, continue to operate unhindered? Is it really not enough for the head of the Ministry of Health, Viktor Liashko, to revoke the medical facility's license?
The editorial board of UNN sent inquiries to the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding whether the department appealed to the Ministry of Health with a demand to conduct an inspection and revoke the license of the Odrex clinic for violating licensing conditions. A similar request was also sent to the Ministry of Health.