Diagnosis for $100: Voznesenskaya Hospital exposes a scheme to sell fake disability

Fake diagnoses for money and social benefits issued through fake documents - a scheme where medical reports became a tool for making money was exposed in Mykolaiv region. The court arrested the first evidence: marked dollars and records that could reveal the scale of the fraud.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

In Mykolaiv, property was seized in a case involving a corruption scheme that combines the social security system and medical institutions. At the center of the case is the chief specialist of the Department of Social Assistance, Social Services and Organizational and Control Work of the Social Protection Department of the Voznesensk City Council.

According to the investigation, she entered into a conspiracy with a member of the medical advisory commission of the municipal non-profit enterprise Voznesensk City Primary Health Care Center. The essence of the scheme was to issue fictitious medical certificates of disability confirming that a person allegedly cannot move or serve himself/herself independently and needs constant outside care.

Such documents provide grounds for applying for social benefits or other privileges, so they were in demand among citizens. The investigation believes that money was demanded for obtaining them.

According to law enforcement officers, the social security official was looking for people willing to pay for the required conclusion and organized the transfer of funds to the doctor.

The money was transferred secretly - it was put into medical documents, which were handed over to the doctor through a nurse. The nurse, as stated in the case file, was not aware of the criminal nature of these actions. After receiving the money, the doctor, using her official position, drew up and issued a fictitious conclusion of the medical advisory commission.

In particular, one such conclusion was issued in February 2026. The document unreasonably stated that the person needed constant third-party care, which opened up the possibility of receiving appropriate social guarantees.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted a special investigative experiment using marked funds. For this purpose, USD 1000 was prepared in USD 100 bills with recorded serial numbers.

During an authorized search at the suspect's place of residence in Voznesensk on March 16, 2026, investigators found and seized the money and a black notebook with notes.

These items were recognized as material evidence in the case, as they may contain information about the circumstances of the crime and confirm the fact of bribery.

The court concluded that the seized property met the criteria of material evidence and should be preserved for further examination and use in the process of proving guilt. The risks of loss or destruction of this evidence were also taken into account.

As a result, the court granted the prosecutor's motion and seized the seized funds and notebook. The ruling is subject to immediate execution but may be appealed.

The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officers are identifying other possible participants in the scheme, as well as the number of people who may have benefited from the illegally obtained medical reports.

Also in March, Vira Belyakova, the former acting chief physician of the regional center of the Medical Service Commission, who is accused of issuing false documents on the unfitness of a person liable for military service, pleaded guilty. During the hearing, the court considered the possibility of approving the agreement between the accused and the prosecutor's office.

Анна Бальчінос