Odrex tries to silence journalists. The clinic sued UNN

The scandalous Odesa private clinic "Odrex" has sued UNN over publications of stories from victims' relatives, as well as those who consider themselves victims of treatment at this medical facility. Odrex lawyers demand a retraction of the materials and compensation of 1 million hryvnias to the clinic.

A copy of the lawsuit from the "Henry Miller" Law Firm, acting on behalf of the private clinic "Odrex," which was filed with the Commercial Court of Kyiv, was received by the UNN editorial office. The clinic, in particular, was outraged by publications prepared based on the film "Wasp's Nest," where relatives of deceased "Odrex" patients and those who consider themselves victims of improper treatment tell their stories and point to systemic violations in the medical facility. "Odrex" believes that these materials damage its business reputation.

In addition, the clinic demands 1 million hryvnias in moral damages from the journalists. "To recover from the Limited Liability Company "INFORMATION AGENCY "UNN" in favor of the Limited Liability Company "House of Medicine" monetary funds in the amount of 1,000,000.00 UAH (one million hryvnias 00 kopecks) as compensation for moral damages," the statement of claim reads.

At the same time, the clinic did not spare money on lawyers. The preparation and filing of the lawsuit cost them a total of over 200,000 hryvnias, which is also stated in the lawsuit.

Apparently, "Odrex" decided to intimidate and silence journalists who cover stories about victims of treatment in this clinic, as well as monitor the progress of investigations into criminal proceedings involving the clinic. To date, there are already 10 criminal cases under investigation under the articles "fraud," "improper performance of professional duties by a medical worker," and "intentional murder."

Moreover, UNN previously reported that the clinic tried to silence relatives and those who suffered as a result of treatment at "Odrex." In particular, representatives of the medical facility repeatedly tried to block the website Stop Odrex, created by relatives of patients who died at the clinic, so that all victims could share their stories and unite.

It is obvious that Odrex did not expect so many stories about victims and injured people and that they would become public, and therefore is now trying not only to silence the voices of those who decided not to remain silent, but also to exert pressure on honest and independent media.

Documentary film "Wasp's Nest"

The documentary film "Wasp's Nest" became a real exposé of "treatment" in the private Odesa clinic Odrex. For perhaps the first time, victims of Odrex and relatives of those who could not be saved after treatment in the Odesa clinic told their truth. In the hope of finding justice and protecting others.

One of those who was not afraid to tell her story is Svitlana Huk. The woman became a widow after her husband was admitted to "Odrex" with a thymus tumor. After the promised "easy operation," he underwent a full thoracotomy, followed by complications, an "artificial kidney" machine, and daily bills of 80-90 thousand UAH. The most shocking part of the Huk family's story was Svitlana's account of how she came to her husband's ward – it was as cold as a freezer, and under the patient's blanket was a heater. As the widow herself says, Odrex continued to keep her husband's body on life support after clinical death only to issue a larger bill, as staying in a private clinic is charged daily. Her husband died, and when Svitlana could not pay for her husband's death, the clinic sued her, simultaneously threatening her. As the widow says, the pressure was so strong that she even thought about suicide.

Volodymyr, another patient, came to "Odrex" for surgery. However, the day after the operation, his condition significantly worsened. It turned out that his lungs were affected by 85%. Although the initial reason for seeking treatment at the clinic had nothing to do with lung problems. Doctors told his wife that her husband had been infected with Serratia marcescens bacteria, which spreads through dirty hands or unsterile equipment. They added that anything can be caught in intensive care. The man's condition worsened, he could barely breathe, so he was put into a medical coma. Keeping a patient on life support is expensive, so eventually the family ran out of money. In response, Volodymyr's wife heard a proposal from the clinic's doctors to "turn off the light" – to disconnect her husband from the machines and accept that he could not be saved. Volodymyr miraculously survived, leaving the clinic with ruined health and significant weight loss. There was no mention of infection in the clinic in the discharge summary.

Kyivan Khrystyna Totkailo learned about her father's oncological diagnosis and turned to "Feofaniya." The medical council concluded that aggressive chemotherapy was contraindicated for him before surgery. However, surgeon Ihor Bielotserkovskyi, who was also on the council, suggested treatment at Odesa's "Odrex," where his wife, oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska, works. He assured the desperate daughter that in the Odesa clinic, her father's "larynx and voice would be saved." Before the trip, the family was forced to pay for a consultation in advance, without an examination, which already raised doubts.

At "Odrex," the father was prescribed a five-day course of aggressive chemotherapy, and a second one was immediately planned. The man had a gastrostomy installed, which required daily care, but, according to Khrystyna, the doctors practically did not examine it. By the time of discharge, there was already a through hole at the installation site, through which food leaked.

After returning to Kyiv, the father's condition sharply worsened: his kidneys failed, and an ulcer appeared in his mouth. To reports of critical symptoms, the doctor from "Odrex" replied that it was a day off today, all questions would be answered on Monday. The family paid over 250 thousand hryvnias, but the father died. Khrystyna is convinced that the prescription of aggressive chemotherapy, contrary to the recommendations of other doctors, was a fatal mistake by "Odrex."

These stories are only a small part of what is shown in the documentary film "Wasp's Nest." In fact, there are many more testimonies, and they all describe the same patterns: aggressive financial pressure, neglect of treatment protocols, lack of proper control, and cases that ended in severe complications or death. The film contains testimonies of those affected by "treatment at Odrex." Law enforcement agencies, as well as the Ministry of Health, cannot ignore them. The scale of these stories indicates that the problem is not with individual doctors, but with the operating system of the "Odrex" clinic. Where the main goal, it seems, is not to help the patient, but to make money.

Death of Adnan Kivan

The impetus for the active public coverage of the so-called "Odrex Case" was the death of local businessman-developer Adnan Kivan within the clinic's walls. It is known that he underwent treatment there from May to October 2024. Following his death, 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, who was dismissed from Odrex almost immediately after Adnan Kivan's death. Investigators, based on expert conclusions, believe that the actions of these two doctors led to the death of patient Adnan Kivan.

Odrex inspection by the regulator

The Ministry of Health has already conducted an inspection of Odrex clinic's compliance with licensing conditions, found violations, and revoked the medical license issued to "Dim Medytsyny" LLC, which is involved in criminal cases regarding Adnan Kivan's death.

The regulator's next step should be to inspect another legal entity of the clinic, "Medical House "Odrex" LLC, which appears in other criminal proceedings. If violations are found, the Ministry of Health must revoke this medical license of the clinic as well.

If this happens, the so-called three-headed dragon will have only one medical license left, issued in 2012 to "Center of Medicine" LLC. For more details on why Odrex has at least three legal entities with medical licenses, read the UNN material.