Director of regional medical center fired in Odesa

Vadym Shukhtin was dismissed from the post of director of the regional medical center in Odesa after systemic violations in the financial and medical activities of the institution were found. The NHSU inspection revealed illegal expenditures, shortcomings in the provision of medical care and a threat to patient safety.

The relevant decision was made at the session of the Odesa Regional Council.

The Odesa Regional Council has prematurely terminated the contract with Vadym Shukhtin and dismissed him from the position of CEO of the Odesa Regional Clinical Medical Center, a municipal non-profit enterprise. This decision was made based on a comprehensive inspection of the institution's activities initiated by the National Health Service of Ukraine.

The inspection, conducted in August 2025, revealed systemic violations of the contract and legislation. In particular, the institution did not receive income from the lease of property, paid more than UAH 7 million to third parties for utilities, and procurement of more than UAH 9 million did not meet the requirements of the Law on Public Procurement. The NHSU was also refunded over UAH 4 million due to incorrect coding of services, and the total amount of financial violations exceeded UAH 20 million.

In addition to financial irregularities, the audit revealed shortcomings in the organization of medical care: emergency surgeries were performed by non-specialists, children were provided with surgical care without a license, and there was no pediatric surgeon, anesthesiologist or pediatrician. Problems with medical records, loss of equipment, and lack of clinical routes required by NHS standards were identified.

At the session of the regional council, the deputies took into account that the actions of the management created risks for patients, violated budget discipline and the efficiency of property use. Given the systemic violations of the contract, financial losses and threats to patient safety, the council decided to terminate the contract with Shukhtin early and appoint new management.

The audit also revealed that the institution had not used UAH 115 million of NHS funds, which became known during a meeting between the center's management and representatives of the National Health Service.

Last year, the Center for Public Investigations analyzed the income and property of the heads of medical institutions in Odesa Oblast in 2023, which are subordinated to the Odesa Oblast Council. Thus, the family of the former director of the Regional Clinical Medical Center Vadym Shukhtin kept UAH 6.77 million.

Анна Бальчінос