The Ministry of Health of Ukraine continues to hinder the activities of Odessa National Medical University. This time, three university clinics at Pasteur, Tinista and Olhievska Streets are under threat. The university staff appeals to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to protect the clinics from the destruction and the right of Odessa to accessible high-quality medical care.
Over the past year, the university has repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Health with the necessary package of documents for updating licenses in the field of economic activity in medical practice. For each such appeals, we received refusals under false pretenses. However, in the period from June 24 to 26, the ministry is planning to carry out inspections of medical institutions as to correspondence to the requirements of legislation in the field of licensing. “Being aware of that without the approved budget there is no way to implement a series of activities aimed at obtaining relevant documentation in the field of economic activity in medical practice in ONMedU, the MOH is trying to get the grounds for deprivation of the license of the university clinics by carrying out the planned inspection. And this will lead to the lack of highly qualified medical care for more than tens of thousands of patients at the Center for Reconstructive and Restorative Medicine, the Multidisciplinary Medical Center, the Ophthalmological Medical Center “, – is said in the statement.
Due to the lack of the MOH coordinated budget, medical supplies, including anesthetics, medical gases, food, disinfectants and detergents, are not fully purchased for the medical institutions. Repairs and equipment maintenance have been stopped. There are no contracts for the payment of fire alarm and alarm buttons in premises for the storage of narcotic drugs, for the disposal of medical waste, garbage disposal, security services. Car insurances, property insurasnce and insurance against contaminated blood staff are unpaid as well. Changes in staffing schedules remain unapproved, etc.
The administration of the Ministry of Health deliberately paralyzed the work of medical institutions and created such conditions in which their licenses could be canceled, and the inhibitants of Odessa – the right for professional medical aid. We regard this as a further attempt of the MOH headers to destabilize the work of ONMedU, as cynical as the organization of raider attacks, confrontation, damage of property and buildings of the university.
The staff appeals to the President of Ukraine with a request to prevent the destruction of clinics, which are an integral part of the university. “Given the above, we ask for your help in stopping the bureaucratic tyranny of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, aimed at destroying the university clinics of Odessa National Medical University”, – the appeal reads.