After unsuccessful attempts to seize control of Odessa National Medical University in raider ways the a.i. head of the MOH Ulyana Suprun has tried to destroy one of the country’s oldest higher schools. This is what Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology, Rector of ONMUU Valeriy Zaporozhan (1994-2018) said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
“The Ministry, in spite of the will of many thousands of people, has been trying to destroy the university (ONMedU. – Ed.), which is 120 years. Moreover, in order to satisfy this maniacal desire, they were even ready to sacrifice another oldest university – the Crimean State Medical University, which was transported from the occupied Crimea with difficulty. I am talking about a “reorganization” when two of these universities were supposed to be destroyed and a new legal entity would be created on their basis, “he said.Please note that under current law, the MOH may only appoint new university directors. Odessa University was founded in 1900 and does not fall into this category.
The Ministry of Health proposed to unite Odessa National Medical University and Crimean State Medical University named after S.I Heorhievsky. On their basis they proposed to create the National Odessa Medical University.
“Why destroy two universities? The Ministry of Health failed to produce any economic justification, and the court successfully stopped this “reorganization”. I am a doctor, a scientist who has dedicated his life to science, and I do not understand why this is possible in a civilized European state, ”Zaporozhan said. He recalled that the university staff and students opposed Suprun’s appointment of her people to the university administration.”They (the staff – Ed.) united when they saw who we were going to be headed by, professors and students who did not receive a penny for almost six months (Suprun refused to sign the budget in January and thus blocked the university’s financial activities. – Ed.). Because of this, we could not accrue salaries and scholarships, we understood – we have no other way out: we either fight or the university ceases to exist, ”Zaporozhan said.According to him, the staff decided to fight to the end.”And we went to the court, filed more than 300 lawsuits, some of the actions have already been won,” – said Valerii Zaporozhan.