12 March 2026
(PHOTO: od.npu.gov.ua)
In Odesa, a family doctor is suspected of extorting $16,000 for issuing a fictitious disability that would allow the patient to avoid mobilization. The doctor was detained after receiving part of the money.
This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Odesa region.
In Odesa, a doctor was detained who received a bribe from a patient for preparing documents that would allow him to avoid mobilization. The doctor assured that he could prepare the necessary papers, referring to his "connections".
According to the investigation, a 33-year-old family doctor of a private medical institution, during a consultation with a patient who complained of health problems, offered to "solve the issue" for money. He assured him that he had contacts in the relevant expert commissions and could assist in establishing a disability group that would allow the man to avoid mobilization.
The doctor promised to draw up documents about a fictitious neurological disease and submit them to an expert commission, which was supposed to confirm this diagnosis and establish a second disability group. For this "service" the doctor asked for 16 thousand dollars.
The resident of Odesa appealed to law enforcement. After that, the operatives detained the doctor immediately after receiving the first part of the bribe - 5 thousand dollars.
The court imposed on him a measure of restraint in the form of detention with the right to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 998,400.
The suspect's actions were classified as abuse of influence. The sanction of the article provides for up to eight years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
In February, a corruption scheme with forged medical certificates was exposed in Odesa. The director of a private medical clinic was suspected. One of the intermediaries offered a person liable for military service assistance in obtaining medical documentation about a heart condition. This documentation could be the basis for obtaining a disability group to avoid mobilization. For such "services" they demanded from 13 to 15 thousand US dollars.
Анна Бальчінос