The Okhmatdyt reconstruction scandal: the Ministry of Health has decided to set the record straight and made a number of statements
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Health has canceled the non-transparent tender for the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt and will announce a new one on Prozorro. A Recovery Council is being set up, and the funds raised will be transferred to the hospital's account for transparent use.
Recently, a scandal erupted in Ukraine over a non-transparent tender for the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt. The media found out that a little-known company with inflated prices was chosen as the contractor, which planned to rebuild the hospital for UAH 307 million. The Ministry of Health decided to dot the i's and cross the t's on the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt and made several statements at once - about the funds raised, the tender and further steps, UNN reports.
Amount of funds raised
According to the Ministry of Health, as of today, the total amount of funds raised for the restoration of Okhmatdyt is about UAH 1.6 billion (of which more than 400 million will be in the form of medical equipment):
- UAH 312 million was transferred directly to the account of the NDSL Okhmatdyt hospital;
- UAH 379 million was transferred to the account of the Omkhatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation, which held the canceled tender;
- More than UAH 320 million was raised as part of a joint fundraising effort by United24 and Monobank, which was transferred directly to the Ministry of Health's account at the National Bank.
- $11.2 million - allocated by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation for the purchase of a complete list of damaged equipment for the modern building of the Okhmatdyt (to be delivered in the form of equipment);
- 1 million from the Government of Lithuania;
- UAH 100 million was allocated by the Government of Ukraine.
Tender
The agency notes that the Charitable Foundation "Okhmatdyt - Healthy Childhood" held a tender for current repairs for the scope of work for which a defective act had already been made and within the amount collected on the foundation's account. The results of this tender were canceled and no contracts were signed.
The situation with the tender concerned only the money raised by the Omkhatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation, which conducted the collection on its own.
Funds raised by the hospital itself, UNITED24, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the governments of Lithuania and Ukraine were in no way involved in the tender. These funds will be used in compliance with the established requirements under the close scrutiny of the Ministry of Health and the public.
"So far, not a single penny of the funds for the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt has been spent," the Ministry of Health emphasized.
Further steps
The statement said that the principled position of the Ministry of Health team is that all processes should be transparent, fair and open. Therefore, at a recent press briefing on the situation at Okhmatdyt, Health Minister Viktor Liashko announced the following decisions:
- The funds raised on the accounts of the Okhmatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation for the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt will be transferred to the hospital's account.
- A new tender will be announced on Prozorro to restore the damaged building of Okhmatdyt and will be conducted in compliance with all legal requirements.
- By the end of next week, we will set up a Recovery Council to which we will invite representatives of the largest donors to join. It will also include representatives of Okhmatdyt, the Ministry of Health, the patient community, anti-corruption organizations and professional associations (details will be announced soon).
- The Reconstruction Council will agree on the basic requirements for construction companies and the criteria by which they will be selected.
- A weekly report on the work done will be published so that everyone has a clear understanding of what the funds raised are spent on.
"Separately, we will soon hold discussions with representatives of the largest construction companies and invite them to participate in the tender. We will ask those who have an impeccable reputation and the necessary capacities to perform the work efficiently to participate," the agency summarized.
Context
Bud-Technology LLC was determined the winner of the tender from the Charitable Foundation "Okhmatdyt" for the repair of the hospital building that was damaged by a missile attack in July. This company was one of the most expensive proposals for the reconstruction.
Lyashko reported that amid the scandal over the overpriced reconstruction of Okhmatdyt, the Health Ministry has asked law enforcement agencies to conduct additional checks on the tender for the hospital's reconstruction.
