After the Khmelnytsky scandal, the Ministry of Health and law enforcement agencies are checking almost 20,000 medical expert files
18 October 2024 14:17
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is actively checking the work of medical and social expert commissions (MSECs) following a high-profile scandal in Khmelnytsky. According to an official response to a request from "Komersant Ukrainian", the Ministry of Health, together with law enforcement agencies, has initiated a large-scale inspection covering almost 20,000 cases involving medical expert opinions.
The Ministry of Health checked the decisions to establish disability for men aged 18 to 60 made during martial law.
The main results of the audit:
- From 27 September to 10 November 2023, 53.7 thousand cases were reviewed, of which 781 were selected for re-examination.
- From 6 to 21 June 2024, 37,891 cases were reviewed, of which 543 were selected for review.
- Between 30 April and 2 May 2024, the activities of the Regional Centre for Medical and Social Expertise of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council were inspected.
The Ministry also continues to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in criminal proceedings.
“We continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in the framework of criminal investigations. More than 18,779 medical expert cases have been processed. The results of this cooperation will continue to be made public,” said Maria Karchevych, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation.
Regarding the reform of the MSEC, the Ministry of Health has developed a draft law that provides for the following key changes:
- Conducting examinations in cluster and supercluster hospitals with the possibility of additional examinations.
- Referral for examination will be based on clear criteria with confirmation through the electronic healthcare system, as well as the introduction of electronic referrals.
- Family doctors or attending physicians will be able to refer patients for examination without the involvement of a medical advisory commission.
- The commission’s decisions will take into account the data obtained during rehabilitation, and if necessary, the commission will be able to refer for further examination.
- A separate toolkit is being created to assess the needs of patients, which will be used in various areas.
- The procedure for financing the assessment is changing: funds from a separate budget programme will be transferred by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) for each assessment.
These changes will not affect the procedure for determining disability groups, social guarantees for people with disabilities, or medical and social expertise for children.
We would like to add that the corruption scandal around the Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC) in Khmelnytsky region continues to attract public attention. After the head of the Khmelnytsky Oblast MSEC, Tetiana Krupa, was left in custody on suspicion of illicit enrichment, new shocking allegations emerged. Journalists claimed that Krupa, who is also a member of the regional council from the Servant of the People party, may have helped 50 prosecutors in the region, including the regional prosecutor, to obtain disability.
These allegations were widely reported in the media, after which the Prosecutor General immediately signed an order for an internal investigation. The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that the investigation would cover not only the Khmelnytskyi regional prosecutor’s office, but also “other bodies”.
Author: Anastasia Fedor
