Following complaints, the Ombudsman inspected a Kyiv emergency hospital
The Ombudsman’s Office conducted a large-scale monitoring inspection of the Kyiv Clinical Emergency Hospital. The inspection was initiated following numerous complaints from military personnel and veterans, journalistic investigations, and reports from civil society organizations regarding inadequate conditions at the facility.
This was reported by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights. According to the Ombudsman, during the visit, the monitoring group personally followed the entire “patient pathway” and conducted an anonymous survey among wounded soldiers, visitors, and medical staff.
The survey results demonstrated a high level of professionalism among the doctors on site. More than 80% of the surveyed soldiers rated the medical staff’s work as “excellent” or “good,” and 92% of patients confirmed that they had full access to necessary medications as well as psychological support. Lubinec specifically noted the complete absence of any hints of corruption or demands for bribes at the facility. At the same time, the overall impression of the hospital is significantly marred by outdated living conditions. In particular, one-third of patients are categorically dissatisfied with the quality of food provided by a private catering company. Furthermore, most of the hospital’s wards, operating rooms, and hallways have long been in need of major repairs.
The commissioner identified the flawed funding system from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) as the main destructive factor, since the current state-set rates are completely out of touch with reality. For example, the NHSU allocates only 600 hryvnias for a contrast-enhanced CT scan, while the actual cost of the procedure is 2.5 times higher, causing the hospital to incur losses. The situation is even more complicated during long-term, months-long treatment of severe injuries: the NHSU pays for this complex process as a single case with a nominal 10% co-payment for prolonged hospitalization.
Currently, the medical facility is staying afloat thanks to additional funding from the capital’s budget under a municipal targeted program. However, this creates a legal pitfall, as the program’s funds are intended exclusively for patients registered in Kyiv, whereas the hospital admits wounded soldiers from all regions of Ukraine. Dmytro Lubinets emphasized that simply changing the facility’s management will not solve these systemic problems. Based on the monitoring results, the Ombudsman’s Office is preparing a detailed report with strict recommendations for the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Health, and local authorities, so that the survival of Ukrainian soldiers no longer depends on bureaucratic formulas and residency status.
Source: the Ombudsman’s Telegram channel.
The Health Department of the Kyiv City State Administration has decided to terminate the contract early and dismiss Viktor Dorosh, director of the Kyiv City Clinical Emergency Hospital. Officially, he will leave his post on June 18, 2026.
The personnel changes came amid public outcry and the opening of a criminal investigation by the Kyiv police into the death at this hospital of Serhiy Kuznetsov, a soldier with the 56th Separate Mariupol Motorized Infantry Brigade. According to volunteer Oksana Korchynska, the soldier, who had shrapnel wounds to his legs, abdomen, and back, was conscious and reportedly on the mend; but the medical staff did not pay sufficient attention to his back injuries or his complaints of worsening health, after which his heart stopped on June 9. Currently, city authorities have expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased, Serhiy Kuznetsov, and have called for patience while awaiting the official results of the forensic medical examination.
