ONMedU staff asks Zelenskii to step in the situation around the university – an open appeal

Odessa National Medical University appealed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskii to protect the university from attacks of the a.i. Head of the Ministry of Health Ulyana Suprun.
“Dear Volodymyr Oleksandrovych, we are writing to you on behalf of the fourteen thousand teaching and student staff of Odessa National Medical University to ask for assistance in resolving the situation between ONMedU and the Ministry of Health,” the video reads.
It is emphasized that when the university was left without a leader, the labor collective and students gathered and Yurii Sukhin was chosen as a.i. Rector by the general decision, since legislation provides autonomy and self-government of higher educational institutions.
Ulyana Suprun, in her turn, tried to take control of the university through her henchmen. After all the attempts of the a.i. head of the Ministry of Health failed, Suprun contrary to the law and court decisions tries to block the work of the university in every way.
In particular, the ministry has not yet approved the university’s budget for 2019. Because of this, students did not receive their scholarship for months, and employees were not paid wages, leading to mass quits. There were debts for the utilities. This was the reason for disconnection of gas supply to ONMedU dormitories in which students live. There was also a high risk of power outages, which could disrupt the normal functioning of not only the residential and business premises of ONMedU, but could also lead to the disconnection of sick patients at university clinics from the electrical apparatus supporting their vital functions.
However, when payments were unblocked through the court, the Ministry of Health discontinued funding for the university.
The Ministry of Health also tried to destroy the university by merging ONMedU with the KSMU named after S.I. Heorhievskii.
The teaching staff and students of ONMedU are asking President Volodymyr Zelenskii to respond and help solve the difficult situation in which one of the oldest and largest institutions of higher education in the country is.