Due to the lawyer's absence, the court could not consider the issue of suspending the oncologist whose patient died in the scandalous "Odrex" clinic

The Kyiv Court of Appeal could not consider the issue of suspending oncologist Myryna Bielotserkovska, who was involved in the treatment of businessman Adnan Kivan, who died in the scandalous Odesa clinic "Odrex", from her duties. The suspect's lawyer did not appear at the hearing, so the hearing was postponed until December 10, a correspondent of UNN reports.

Earlier, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv refused to remove Maryna Bielotserkovska from the position of oncologist, which she currently holds at the private clinic DENIS. The prosecutor's motion was filed as part of a criminal proceeding opened due to the death of the businessman in the Odesa clinic "Odrex", where Bielotserkovska previously worked. Oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska and head of the surgical department of "Odrex" Vitaliy Rusakov are suspected of improper performance of professional duties, which led to the patient's death (Part 1 of Article 140 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

At the beginning of the session, Maryna Bielotserkovets told the court that she was against journalists filming her.

"I am against being filmed."

The court panel decided to continue the session in camera to avoid disclosing data related to the deceased's oncological disease.

In addition, Bielotserkovska informed the court that she was against the session being held in the absence of one of her defenders. Usually, in order to delay the court proceedings, the defense uses the tactic of one of the lawyers being absent from the court session, and the court is forced to postpone the consideration of the issue.

The court hearing was postponed to 12:30 on December 10.

Earlier, UNN reported that "Odrex" fired Bielotserkovska almost immediately after the death of her patient. However, this did not prevent the doctor from getting a job at the capital's private clinic DENIS, where she has been working for more than six months. Currently, Bielotserkovska is accompanying the treatment of 17 patients.

The DENIS website states that Bielotserkovska previously worked as an oncologist at LLC "House of Medicine", i.e., at the "Odrex" clinic. Her medical credo: "Equally important are the one who treats and the one who is treated."

During previous hearings, the prosecution referred to the conclusions of the forensic medical examination, according to which the patient died of sepsis on October 27, 2024. It should be noted that from May to October 2024, Adnan Kivan was treated at the "Odrex" clinic by Maryna Bielotserkovska, and the operation was performed by Viktor Rusakov. Oncologist Bielotserkovska was also in constant contact with the businessman's relatives and gave her recommendations regarding his further treatment.

As UNN previously reported, surgeon Vitaliy Rusakov did not prescribe antibiotics to the patient after the operation, which, according to the investigation, contributed to the development of sepsis. In addition, the doctors did not react to the infection in time, but on the contrary, on the day of the patient's death, they assured his relatives that he did not have sepsis.

Both Maryna Bielotserkovska and Vitaliy Rusakov are under night house arrest and are obliged to wear an electronic bracelet.

Such a preventive measure during the "curfew" in Ukrainian cities means that the court actually left both suspects in the patient's death case with the same restrictions that apply to all Ukrainians.

This, in particular, caused outrage in society, which is further fueled by the behavior of the suspect Rusakov. For example, after the mitigation of the preventive measure, Rusakov laughed and joked, and after the session, he published a selfie with an electronic bracelet on social networks. The families of the deceased patients called such actions a "cynical demonstration of disrespect" to all victims who died or experienced a significant deterioration in health due to "treatment" at Odrex.

New victims due to treatment at "Odrex"

Adnan Kivan's death became a turning point, after which other victims of "treatment" at the "Odrex" clinic dared to speak. Their stories became the basis of the documentary film "Wasp's Nest", which showed the scale of what is happening within the clinic's walls.

Svitlana Huk, whose husband died in "Odrex", says that while he was in intensive care, the clinic issued bills for 80-90 thousand hryvnias daily. The woman suspects that her husband could have been kept on life support even after clinical death – but not to save him, but to continue issuing bills. When the woman could no longer pay, she was directly offered to hand over the documents for the apartment so that the clinic's lawyers could quickly sell it. After her husband's death, the clinic, without stopping, sued her, demanding an additional 900 thousand hryvnias.

Another patient, Volodymyr, came to "Odrex" for an operation, during which he was probably infected with the bacterium Serratia Marcescens. This bacterium is transmitted through dirty hands or instruments. The clinic did not deny this, stating that "this is intensive care – you can catch anything here." Such a response may indicate that the staff understands that the intensive care unit in the clinic does not meet the stated standards, is not sterile, and that this is a systemic problem, not a one-time case. The infection affected 85% of Volodymyr's lungs, he was put into a medical coma, he lost 15 kg. Volodymyr's wife still repeats that her husband "miraculously survived this treatment."

Khrystyna Totkailo talks about her father, who, at the insistence of "Odrex" doctors, was prescribed aggressive chemotherapy, despite the warnings of Kyiv specialists. She recalls the promises that "they will save his voice and larynx," and how her father returned home with virtually no chance of survival. Aggressive treatment, in her opinion, not only did not help – it broke him.

Kateryna Boichuk recalls how she sent her mother to a "expensive clinic with a good reputation," and three weeks later picked up her body. Her mother underwent surgery, but the doctors, according to Kateryna, could not determine the diagnosis. Daily calls at night, confused explanations, endless sums in bills – and death. Kateryna says: "I trusted these doctors, and now I wouldn't even trust them with a cold prescription."

All these stories with different diagnoses, different circumstances, different people have one common feature – the feeling that the lives of patients in "Odrex" are valued much less than the money that can be obtained for "treatment." Victims and families of the deceased talk about medical errors, negligence, cynicism, but most of all – about the absence of elementary humanity.

While the investigation continues, more and more people are coming forward with new stories. And each of them sounds like new evidence that the problem is much deeper than individual doctors. The problem, it seems, lies in the very structure of the "Odrex" clinic, which allows such an attitude towards people, their health, and their lives.