Safety of Ukrainian patients: why the decision regarding the medical licenses of the scandalous Odrex has not been published and what role Lyashko plays in this

More than two weeks have passed since the unscheduled inspection of two legal entities associated with the scandalous Odesa clinic Odrex was completed, but the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has not yet published any decision. Against the background of a large number of criminal proceedings against the clinic and its doctors, public outcry, and numerous stories of affected patients, such a pause looks like a dangerous silence from the regulator. Read about the possible reasons for the Ministry of Health's delay in the UNN material.

Unscheduled inspections of compliance with licensing conditions of LLC "Medical House "Odrex" and LLC "Center of Medicine" – legal entities under which Odrex clinic's medical licenses are registered – lasted from January 6 to January 8, 2026. Both companies of the scandalous "Odrex" clinic are involved in criminal proceedings opened on the facts of possible fraud, improper performance of professional duties by medical workers, and embezzlement of patients' funds.

Why is the Ministry of Health delaying the results of Odrex LLC inspections?

As a rule, the Ministry of Health publishes the results of such inspections within a few days or a maximum of a week after the commission completes its work. In the case of the Odrex clinic, however, the deadlines have already gone far beyond usual practice.

This delay comes against the backdrop of the Ministry of Health already revoking the license of LLC "Dim Medytsyny" – another legal entity of the scandalous clinic – at the end of 2025. At that time, the reason was the clinic's administration's refusal to provide the licensing commission members with the necessary documentation. This means that the state had already recognized gross violations of licensing conditions within the structure of this business. A quick and clear decision based on the results of the January inspection should have been a logical continuation. Instead – silence.

Conflict of interest: how are Minister Liashko and clinic CEO Arutyunyan connected?

A separate question in this story is the trust in the impartiality of the Ministry of Health specifically in the "Odrex Case." As UNN previously reported, the general director of the Odrex clinic, Tigran Arutyunyan, and the Minister of Health, Viktor Liashko, have known each other personally for many years. And today we have a paradoxical situation: the scandalous Odrex clinic, associated with a dozen criminal proceedings, patient deaths, and massive public outrage, continues to operate, and the regulator's decision regarding its licenses is being delayed.

In fact, this is not just an abstract "conflict of interest," but a direct personal communication and long-term joint work between the head of the regulator and the head of the scandalous clinic. Viktor Liashko and Tigran Arutyunyan worked together in a specialized working group of the Ministry of Health, which formed the state's approaches to the development of private medicine in Ukraine. It was within the framework of this cooperation that the rules by which private clinics operate today were developed. In this context, journalists have reasonable suspicions: the delay in the Ministry of Health's decision regarding the results of the Odrex LLC inspection may be due not to procedural difficulties, but to personal and professional ties between the minister and the head of the clinic.

Thus, this situation only reinforces doubts about the regulator's ability to act quickly and impartially in a case that has long become a test of the integrity of state control in the field of private medicine.

Where is the limit of society's patience?

The "Odrex Case" has long gone beyond the scope of a single clinic. It has become a litmus test for the entire system of state control in the field of healthcare. This is not just about the availability of medical licenses, but about the real protection of patients – before another tragedy occurs at Odrex.

While the Ministry of Health delays its decision, the families of deceased patients remain in uncertainty, and the public receives a signal: even with widespread publicity, the regulator can afford to remain silent and essentially cover for the clinic.

Whether this pause will be an attempt to "wait out" the public outcry or will precede an objective and principled decision – time will tell. The UNN editorial office has already officially inquired with the Ministry of Health several times regarding both the inspection results and possible violations found – but the institution has not yet provided an answer. At the same time, every day of delay only strengthens public doubts about the independence of state supervision and increases the cost of inaction – primarily for patients.