Daughter of a patient who died at Odrex called the scandalous clinic's lawsuit against UNN pressure on the media and an attempt to erase memory

The lawsuit filed by the scandalous Odesa private clinic Odrex against UNN journalists is an act of pressure on the media and an attempt to silence the truth about the tragedies that occurred within the clinic's walls. This was stated by Khrystyna Totkailo, co-founder of the StopOdrex platform, whose father died after treatment at the medical facility, UNN writes.

Context

"Odrex" sued UNN over publications of stories from victims' relatives, as well as those who consider themselves harmed by treatment at this medical facility. The clinic's lawyers demand a retraction of the materials and compensation of 1 million hryvnias for moral damages to "Odrex." Apparently, "Odrex" decided to intimidate and silence journalists who cover stories about victims of treatment at this clinic, and who also monitor the progress of investigations into criminal proceedings involving the clinic. To date, 10 criminal cases are known to be under investigation under the articles "fraud," "improper performance of professional duties by a medical worker," and "intentional homicide."

"They demand a retraction of materials in which journalists tell our stories – stories of people who have faced the pain of loss, tragedies, and the deaths of their loved ones due to 'treatment' at the clinic. Among these stories is mine. The story of my father's death, which Odrex apparently considers 'damage to business reputation.' This lawsuit is not about reputation. It's about the truth that Odrex is trying to erase. Instead of taking responsibility, providing explanations, and communicating with the victims, and letting justice take its course – the clinic goes to court and demands millions from journalists, pressuring them to shut up and stop writing the truth," Khrystyna Totkailo wrote on her Facebook page.

She reminded that "Odrex" also tried to block the StopOdrex platform, created so that those who suffered from treatment at the medical facility could tell their stories.

"First, they tried to block our StopOdrex website, now they are trying to intimidate journalists who dared to listen to us, hear us, and tell our stories so that the whole country would know about them. But the truth will not disappear from lawsuits. We will not be silent, and we are grateful to those who are not afraid to speak with us," Khrystyna Totkailo emphasized.

Documentary film "Wasp's Nest"

The documentary film "Wasp's Nest" became a real exposé of "treatment" at the private Odesa clinic Odrex. Perhaps for the first time, victims of Odrex and relatives of those who could not be saved after treatment at 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 thymoma. 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 space 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 considered suicide.

Volodymyr, another patient, came to "Odrex" for surgery. However, the day after the operation, his condition significantly worsened. It turned out that 85% of his lungs were affected. 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 the bacterium Serratia marcescens, which spreads through dirty hands or unsterile equipment. They added that anything can be caught in intensive care. The husband'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 lights" – to disconnect her husband from life support and accept that he could not be saved. Volodymyr miraculously survived, leaving the clinic with damaged 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 doctors' council concluded that aggressive chemotherapy was contraindicated before surgery. However, surgeon Ihor Bielotserkovsky, who was also at the council, suggested treatment at Odesa's "Odrex," where his wife, oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska, works. He assured the desperate daughter that her father's "larynx and voice would be saved" at the Odesa clinic. Before the trip, the family was forced to pay for a consultation in advance, without an examination, which already raised doubts.

At "Odrex," her father was prescribed a five-day course of aggressive chemotherapy, and a second course was immediately planned. The man had a gastrostomy tube inserted, 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 insertion site, through which food was leaking.

After returning to Kyiv, her father's condition sharply deteriorated: his kidneys failed, and an ulcer appeared in his mouth. In response to reports of critical symptoms, the doctor from "Odrex" replied that it was a day off, all questions would be addressed on Monday. The family paid over 250,000 hryvnias, but her 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 "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 system of work at 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 caused the patient's death (Part 1, Article 140 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Later, it turned out that these were Vitaliy Rusakov, head of the surgical department, and oncologist Maryna Bielotserkovska, who was fired 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 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 be left with its last medical license, 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.