Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko has commented on the possibility of his resignation amid the scandal surrounding medical and social expert commissions (MSECs) that has recently caused a wide public outcry. Lyashko stressed that it is much easier to write a letter of resignation than to implement the necessary reforms in the MSEC system. His statement was made during a briefing where he noted that he was not responsible for the appointment or dismissal of the heads of these commissions, but that his powers include the appointment and dismissal of the head of the Central Medical and Sanitary Commission. It was yesterday that he signed an order to dismiss this official.
‘I do not appoint and dismiss the heads of the MSECs. I appoint and dismiss the head of the Central Medical and Sanitary Commission, who was dismissed yesterday by my order. Believe me, it’s probably easier to write a statement than to reform the MSECs,’ the official said.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his dissatisfaction with the work of two key ministers, Viktor Liashko and Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych, in connection with the investigation into the abuse of the MSEK system.
A recent scandal involving corruption at the Khmelnytsky Regional Centre for Medical and Social Expertise erupted after the centre’s head, Tetiana Krupa, was suspected of large-scale corruption. During the searches, almost $6 million in cash was seized from her.
It turned out that about 50 prosecutors in Khmelnytsky region could ‘buy’ disability certificates with the help of Krupa, which caused a stir and led to the dismissal of the head of the Khmelnytsky regional prosecutor’s office.
On 22 October, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, announced his resignation over the scandal of fake disability certificates among prosecutors. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to liquidate the MSEC by 31 December 2024. All decisions of the MSEC on disability for public officials will be thoroughly checked for legality.
