The Ukrainian National Health Service (NHSU) has granted a contract to the debated Odrex medical center for the “Health Checkup 40+” initiative, despite ongoing legal actions and grievances from individuals receiving care. This determination prompts concerns regarding the well-being of patients and the utilization of taxpayer money.
The National Health Service of Ukraine has formalized another agreement with the contentious “Odrex” private institution to deliver healthcare assistance within a government-sponsored scheme aimed at individuals in the 40+ age bracket. This verdict arrives even as the Odrex facility faces various indictments tied to deceit, inadequate professional conduct, and deliberate homicide, alongside a plethora of complaints from clientele and a widespread opposition movement among those affected, dubbed StopOdrex. The risks this partnership between the National Health Service of Ukraine and this problematic healthcare organization presents to Ukrainian patients are outlined in the UNN report.
The “Health Checkup 40+” program is a governmental project underwritten by public funds, allocating 2,000 hryvnias for screening tests for each Ukrainian citizen aged 40 and over. This scheme is designed to evaluate potential risks of developing heart-related conditions, type 2 diabetes, and psychological disorders. While ostensibly about screening and avoidance, this phase effectively tasks the state with designating a specific healthcare provider for initial patient contact. Moreover, should hazards or abnormalities be detected, subsequent consultations, added tests, and therapies (generally at the patient’s expense) are usually carried out at the same establishment.
Consequently, the determination by the National Health Service of Ukraine to enter into another arrangement with the Odrex clinic warrants scrutiny, given the institution’s known public image. The Odrex clinic is implicated in 10 separate legal cases, with patients consistently reporting health regressions post-treatment, likely misdiagnoses, hospital-acquired infections, and grave consequences for their well-being. Yet, these circumstances have not deterred the Ministry of Health of Ukraine from permitting this controversial clinic to utilize public resources.
Importantly!
The mandates set by the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Fund for participants in the “Health Checkup 40+” program are primarily procedural, emphasizing licensing, staffing levels, and available equipment. They do not incorporate factors to consider the institution’s standing, volume of patient complaints, or existing criminal actions. Under these stipulations, facilities that technically satisfy the stated criteria may participate, despite giving rise to justifiable concerns about patient safety within both the community and professional sectors.
StopOdrex: public pressure and people's fear of speaking openly
Essentially, the state is presently channeling budgetary resources and Ukrainian citizens toward a dubious clinic at the center of legal examinations and around which a collective of harmed patients, StopOdrex, has even emerged.
This collective originated from families of patients who have passed away and those who see themselves as victims of care received at the clinic. Initially, the activists initiated the StopOdrex website, where previous patients could peruse treatment evaluations, monitor the “Odrex Case,” and provide support to one another. Nevertheless, after three separate instances of the StopOdrex website being blocked, the activists were compelled to create a Telegram channel as a “more secure communication means.” According to the platform’s co-founder, Christina Totkailo, all narratives are shared anonymously due to concerns about coercion and victimization.
Moreover, Svitlana Guk, a widow of a prior clinic patient, voiced her anxieties to UNN concerning the potential escalation of duress. Concurrently, the clinic’s legal representatives have denied any involvement in the website’s obstruction. Specifically, lawyer Masi Nayem affirmed: “We are unacquainted with the site.”
In spite of the furor, “Odrex” endures as a prominent private associate of the National Health Insurance Fund of Ukraine. As per the findings of 2025, the clinic rendered medical assistance across eight categories under the Medical Guarantees Program, encompassing stroke and heart attack care, rehabilitation, and basic medical services. As stated by the clinic’s leadership, the acute care packages are the most sought-after.
The story of a woman who became disabled after treatment at Odrex under the NHSU program
One such account is that of Oleksandr, publicized on the StopOdrex website. His mother was transported to Odrex via ambulance in August 2025 for stroke treatment under the NHSU program. Unanticipatedly, she was discharged three days subsequently. Upon returning home, her condition acutely declined. Repeated hospitalizations at other sites were complicated by Odrex’s documentation, which implied her treatment was complete.
Once Oleksandr successfully arranged for his mother to be admitted to another medical facility, the doctors there reportedly declared that she should not have been released so prematurely.
“The consequence of care at Odrex is permanent disability,” concludes the woman’s son.
Responsibility of the Ministry of Health for “Odrex”
This family’s experience is not isolated. In light of these similar occurrences, the resolve of the National Health Service of Ukraine to prolong its association with the contentious Odrex clinic elicits increasing inquiries.
Fundamentally, the medical guarantee scheme represents not just a financing mechanism, but also the state’s commitment to patient protection. The practice of allocating public funds to a medical center embroiled in criminal procedures and facing public patient complaints casts doubt on the very cornerstone of safeguarding citizens.