Forgery of medical documents: why did Odrex clinic fail to provide the Odesa Regional Military Administration’s Department of Health with the medical records of the deceased patient?
Kyiv • UNN
The Department of Health of the Odesa Regional Military Administration refused to conduct a clinical expert assessment of Ihor Melai’s treatment at Odrex. This was due to the clinic’s lack of the original medical records, which had been seized by law enforcement officers. At the same time, experts emphasize that when originals are seized, certified copies of the documents must remain at the medical facility.
The Health Department of the Odesa Regional State Administration refused to conduct a clinical expert assessment of the treatment provided to deceased patient Ihor Melai at the private Odrex clinic. Odesa officials explained their failure to comply with the Ministry of Health’s instruction by the absence of the original medical documents, which had been seized by investigators. At the same time, record-keeping rules require the clinic to retain certified copies. Moreover, Odrex representatives publicly stated that such copies exist, UNN reports.
If the original documents are seized, copies of those documents, certified in accordance with the Rules, and an inventory of the seized documents must remain at the institution
Moreover, as Ihor Melai’s widow, Olha Melai, told UNN, Odrex representatives publicly confirmed that the clinic has such copies. In one comment, a clinic representative wrote:
"The clinic has its own copies of the documents, the treatment history, and the prescriptions. We are ready to sit down and compare them with you, point by point"
This statement directly contradicts the argument Odrex clinic presented to the Health Department of the Odesa Regional State Administration. The Department’s response to Olha Melai states that Dim Medytsyny LLC and Medical House "Odrex" LLC reported that they were unable to provide the requested documentation because it had been seized by law enforcement officers.
This raises the question: if the clinic has copies of Ihor Melai’s medical documents, why were they not provided to the Department for the inspection?
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This contradiction is particularly significant given what exactly Olha Melai asked to have investigated. In her appeal to the Ministry of Health, she pointed to discrepancies between the medical documents the family received during Ihor Melai’s treatment and the documentation the clinic subsequently submitted to the court. In particular, these concerned the type of anesthesia used during the surgery, the circumstances of the procedure itself, and the description of the postoperative period. Melai also specifically asked for the records in the electronic healthcare system to be examined and for it to be established whether any changes had been made to them.
We remind you
Ihor Melai died after nearly eight months of treatment at the private Odrex clinic. As UNN previously reported, the man was undergoing treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
According to his widow, Olha Melai, Odrex doctors initially planned to conduct eight courses of immunochemotherapy. On April 26, 2025, Ihor Melai was offered the insertion of a pleural port. According to Olha, the procedure was presented to the family as a minimally invasive intervention that was to be performed under local anesthesia. However, after the surgery, the man was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he remained on mechanical ventilation for three days. During the first 24 hours after the procedure, approximately five liters of fluid were drained from his chest cavity. Treatment was subsequently continued, but Ihor Melai completed only four of the eight planned courses of immunochemotherapy.
According to Olha Melai’s statements, law enforcement officers initiated criminal proceedings concerning certain circumstances of her husband’s treatment. The court must provide the final legal assessment of the medical personnel’s actions, the authenticity of the documentation, and any possible violations.