The management of the Poltava Regional Hospital earned 11.5 million hryvnias from free surgeries
Law enforcement officials have notified the chief physician of the Poltava Regional Clinical Hospital named after M.V. Sklifosovsky and two ophthalmologists that they are under investigation for organizing a corruption scheme.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the hospital’s management illegally received funds from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NSZU) for lens implantation surgeries, which by law were supposed to be free of charge. The scheme had been in operation since August 2025 and involved over a thousand cases, causing the state losses amounting to more than 11.5 million hryvnias.
The investigation established that patients were forced to purchase lenses at their own expense due to their alleged unavailability at the facility. At the same time, reports submitted to the National Health Service of Ukraine stated that the hospital had provided patients with the necessary materials free of charge. This allowed the medical facility to receive budget funding a second time for services already paid for by citizens. Currently, the suspects’ actions are classified as abuse of office and aiding and abetting under the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The court has already imposed pretrial measures on the suspects for the duration of the investigation. Law enforcement officials continue to review the hospital’s financial records to identify other possible instances of embezzlement of budget funds. If found guilty, the medical professionals face a lengthy prison sentence and disqualification from holding certain positions. The National Health Service of Ukraine (NSZU), for its part, has initiated an additional audit of the implementation of the Medical Guarantees Program in the Poltava region.
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