Why the Ministry of Health should conduct a comprehensive inspection of Odesa region's healthcare system
Kyiv • UNN
Scandals, criminal proceedings, and patient complaints – private medicine in Odesa region has come under close scrutiny by law enforcement. MP Viktoriia Vagner calls on the Ministry of Health to conduct an inspection of the region, as risks for patients are increasing.
The Odesa region has become the center of medical scandals that cast doubt on the effectiveness of state control over private clinics. People's Deputy Viktoria Vagner believes that the Ministry of Health should carefully analyze the situation and, if necessary, initiate additional inspections. This concerns the need for a systemic assessment of the situation in the region, UNN reports.
Insufficient control in the field of private medicine increasingly creates risks for patients. This is especially noticeable in the Odesa region, where several large clinics have become the subject of criminal proceedings. This refers to the clinics Into-Sana, St. Catherine's Hospital, and Odrex.
The situation with several criminal proceedings against private clinics in one city is, of course, a signal that requires attention. At the same time, it is important not to make premature generalizations – each case must be investigated separately and receive a legal assessment
If in the first two cases law enforcement officers are checking possible corruption schemes related to fictitious diagnoses for evading mobilization, the situation with Odrex signals a much deeper problem. The clinic is involved in at least 10 criminal proceedings under various articles (from improper performance of professional duties to fraud). At the same time, a powerful public outcry has formed: Ukrainians have launched a public initiative StopOdrex, which united those who faced negative experiences of treatment in the clinic. Activists of the movement report dozens of appeals – people complain about false diagnoses, psychological pressure, discrepancies between medical documentation and actually performed procedures, and much more. All stories are published by StopOdrex activists in their Telegram channel and on the website of the public initiative.
The high concentration of criminal proceedings and patient complaints within one region raises questions not only about the professionalism of individual medical institutions but also about the effectiveness of the control system in general.
Such cases may indicate the presence of systemic risks. In particular, regarding the quality control of medical services, transparency of processes, and response to violations. The current mechanisms of state supervision formally exist, but the question of their effectiveness, speed of response, and inevitability of responsibility remains open. The problem is not only in individual cases but in the fact that the quality control system works mostly reactively. There is a lack of transparent quality indicators, a clear system for handling complaints, and risk-oriented supervision
Former Minister of Health Oleh Musiy speaks about a similar problem. According to him, there are virtually no clear criteria for quality control of treatment in Ukraine, and without them, there is no effective supervision.
Quality control practically does not exist because there are no evaluation criteria, they have not yet been introduced by anyone. By no one: neither the Ministry of Health nor the National Health Service of Ukraine. Therefore, control indicators, unfortunately, are one of the painful topics and places that are not yet properly present in our system, as they should be
In such a situation, Viktoria Vagner believes, the Ministry of Health should act not selectively, but systematically.
The Ministry of Health, as a regulator, must carefully analyze the situation in the region and, if necessary, initiate additional inspections. It is important that this is not a selective reaction, but a systemic assessment
In practice, this raises a broader question: is the Ministry of Health capable of ensuring proper control over medicine and protecting patients? The regulator's reaction to the scandal surrounding the Odrex clinic is indicative in this context.
Thus, during an unscheduled inspection in January 2026, initiated due to criminal proceedings in which Odrex is involved, the Ministry of Health found no violations in two out of three legal companies under whose licenses the clinic operates.
Additional questions regarding this situation arise due to the personal relationship between Tigran Arutyunyan, the general director of "Medical House "Odrex", and Viktor Liashko, the Minister of Health. It is known that Arutyunyan is a member of the Ministry of Health's working group on the development of private medicine, which is headed by the minister. The positive results of the inspections for the scandalous clinic look ambiguous and raise questions about a possible conflict of interest for Viktor Liashko.
In addition, despite the scandals surrounding the clinic, Odrex continues to work with the state. As previously reported by UNN, the clinic remains one of the largest partners of the National Health Service of Ukraine and receives funding under medical guarantee programs.
This creates a seemingly paradoxical situation – despite criminal proceedings, massive patient complaints, and public outcry, the regulator not only sees no violations but also continues to refer Ukrainians to this medical institution within the framework of the Medical Guarantees Programs.