The StopOdrex platform, where individuals recount their experiences with care at the Odrex medical center, has encountered another blockage. The originators view this as an endeavor to conceal reality from the public.
The StopOdrex platform, which was set up to facilitate the sharing of narratives by those who suffered ill effects as a consequence of interventions at the questionable private “Odrex” hospital in Odessa, has been shuttered once more. The online resource is currently inaccessible, UNN reports.
“The site was once again taken offline due to a grievance lodged with the service provider. We are presently endeavoring to reinstate its functionality,” stated Khrystyna Totkaylo, a prime mover behind the StopOdrex platform, whose father succumbed due to treatment received at Odrex, as reported by UNN.
She surmises that this renewed effort to suppress the platform represents an endeavor to “silence” those who have been harmed by treatment at Odrex and to keep the populace from knowing the truth.
It is notable that DIM MEDICINE LLC, an entity linked to the Odrex clinic, previously appealed to the web hosting service Hostiq, demanding the site’s shutdown. According to Christina Totkailo, Odrex alleged at the time that the site purportedly “misleads users,” “falsely suggests affiliation with the clinic’s official website,” “damages commercial standing,” and “features libelous information.”
She characterized the effort to restrict access to the site as an attempt to curtail public discourse on sensitive matters and to exert influence on the bereaved families of patients.
Advocates have emphasized: StopOdrex is a non-profit and apolitical venue established solely to allow individuals to convey their own experience of treatment at Odrex openly or confidentially, to monitor progress in legal proceedings within the so-called “Odrex Case,” and to provide mutual support.
Documentary film “Wasp's Nest”
The documentary “Wasp's Nest” served as a genuine revelation regarding the “treatment” provided at the privately-owned Odrex clinic in Odessa. This is not the first instance in which those harmed by Odrex and the loved ones of individuals who could not be saved after treatment at the Odessa facility have shared their accounts, with the hope of securing redress and safeguarding others.
Svitlana Guk is among those who dared to share her story. This woman became a widow after her husband was admitted to Odrex with a thymus gland tumor. Following a “simple operation” as promised, he underwent a complete thoracotomy, which led to complications, the use of an “artificial kidney” apparatus, and daily charges ranging from 80,000 to 90,000 UAH. The most disturbing element of the Guk family's experience was Svitlana's revelation that she had visited her husband's room to find it as frigid as a freezer, with a space heater situated under the patient's covers. According to the widow, Odrex prolonged the use of machines to support her husband’s body following clinical death, solely to generate a larger bill, as stays at the private clinic are billed on a daily basis. The husband passed away, and when Svitlana was unable to settle the bill associated with her husband’s death, the clinic filed a lawsuit against her, while simultaneously issuing threats. The widow stated that the pressure was so intense that she contemplated suicide.
Volodymyr, another patient, came to Odrex for surgical intervention. However, his condition deteriorated significantly the day following the operation. It was found that his lungs were 85% compromised, despite the initial reason for visiting the clinic being unrelated to lung issues. The medical staff informed his spouse that the man had contracted the Serratia marcescens bacterium, which is spread through unclean hands or unsterilized equipment. They added that contamination is a risk in the intensive care setting. The man’s condition continued to worsen, making breathing difficult, and he was consequently placed in a medically induced coma. Maintaining a patient on life support is costly, and the family eventually exhausted their funds. In response, Volodymyr's wife was offered the suggestion by clinic doctors to “pull the plug” – disconnect the man from the machines and accept his inability to recover. Volodymyr miraculously survived, leaving the clinic with compromised health and substantial weight loss. There is no mention in the records of contracting an infection at the clinic.
Khrystyna Totkaylo, from Kyiv, received the diagnosis of her father’s cancer and sought advice from Feofania. The medical board concluded that aggressive chemotherapy was contraindicated before surgery. However, surgeon Ihor Belotserkovsky, who was also present at the board, suggested treatment at Odrex in Odessa, where his wife, oncologist Marina Belotserkovskaya, is employed. He assured his distraught daughter that her father would “preserve his larynx and voice” at the Odessa facility. Before the journey, the family was obliged to prepay for the consultation, without an examination, which raised reservations.
At Odrex, the father was prescribed a five-day regimen of aggressive chemotherapy and a second one was immediately scheduled. A gastrostomy tube, which required daily maintenance, was inserted into the man, but according to Khrystyna, the doctors performed minimal examinations. By the time he was discharged, a hole had formed in the tube through which nourishment leaked.
Upon returning to Kyiv, her father’s condition sharply declined: his kidneys malfunctioned, and oral lesions emerged. When the doctor from “Odrex” was notified of critical symptoms, she responded that it was a day of rest and all queries would be addressed on Monday. The family paid over 250,000 hryvnias, but his father died. Khrystyna is convinced that prescribing aggressive chemotherapy against the recommendations of other doctors was a fatal misstep for “Odrex”.
These narratives constitute merely a fraction of the content presented in the documentary “Wasp's Nest”. In fact, a multitude of testimonies exist, all of which depict consistent patterns: intense financial pressure, disregard for established treatment protocols, insufficient oversight, and instances that culminated in severe complications or death. The film encapsulates the experiences of those impacted by “treatment at Odrex”. Law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Health cannot disregard them. The scope of these experiences highlights that the issue extends beyond individual physicians and encompasses the operational structure of the Odrex clinic, where the paramount objective appears to be financial gain rather than patient welfare.
The death of Adnan Kivan
The catalyst for the commencement of a vigorous public controversy surrounding the Odrex clinic was the passing of local entrepreneur-developer Adnan Kivan in the hospital. He was reportedly under care there from May to October 2024. Following his demise, two physicians were reported on suspicion of improper execution of professional responsibilities, resulting in the patient’s death (Part 1 of Article 140 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
It was later revealed that the two individuals were the head of the surgical department, Vitaliy Rusakov, and oncologist Marina Belotserkovskaya, who was dismissed from Odrex almost immediately after Adnan Kivan’s passing. Investigators, based on the examination’s findings, believe that the actions of these two doctors contributed to the demise of patient Adnan Kivan. The case has now been referred to the court for evaluation on its merits.
According to media reports, the accused surgeon neglected to prescribe antibiotics to the patient post-operation and dismissed overt indications of sepsis. Moreover, journalists report that the physicians performed several procedures that were contraindicated for the patient at that juncture, including chemotherapy, apparently administered by oncologist Maryna Belotserkovska.