Ukraine’s parliament approves bill to dissolve medical expert commissions in 2025
Source: Yaroslav Zheleznyak
In a bid to address corruption in medical expert commissions, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has gone for the easiest solution – it has passed a bill to dissolve them, with 259 deputies voting in favor. Starting January 1, the current MSEC system will be replaced with expert commissions established in what is called cluster and supra-cluster hospitals. This move follows a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dismantle MSEC by December 31, 2024.
It started on On October 4 when the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) uncovered corruption involving the head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Center of Medical-Social Expertise, Tetiana Krupa, and her son, a senior official in the regional Pension Fund. Searches at their residences revealed approximately $5.2 million in cash, 300,000 euros, over 5 million hryvnias, and luxury jewelry, the origins of which they failed to explain.
The Anti-Corruption Court upheld her detention on December 9. This scandal drew a strong public reaction, prompting further inspections of MSEC employees and uncovering cases of fake disability certifications. Among those caugh red-handed were the head of Mykolaiv’s MSEC, with over $450,000 in cash found during searches, and a Central MSEC official caught taking bribes in November.
Investigators found that 61 prosecutors in Khmelnytskyi, including the regional prosecutor Oleksandr Oliinyk, had fraudulently obtained disability statuses to dodge the military service. Record also revealed that at least 50 identified “disabled” prosecutors collectively claimed 54.1 million hryvnias in pensions funded by taxpayers.
Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.
The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.