Volodymyr Zhovnir, CEO of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, was suspended until all inspections related to the hospital's reconstruction are completed, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said on Aug. 17.
Okhmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's medical center, was hit during a Russian missile attack on July 8 that killed two people and injured over 30. One of the hospital's buildings was completely destroyed, while another, the biggest and most advanced one which, reportedly, accounts for up to 95% of the hospital’s functions, was damaged.
Following the strike, more than Hr 1 billion ($24 million) was raised through several fundraisers for the hospital's reconstruction within days. Individuals and businesses alike donated to help the hospital resume its vital operations as fast as possible.
In early August, Liashko requested that law enforcement conduct additional inspections of the tender for the rebuilding of Okhmatdyt, which was won by the Ukrainian company Bud-Technology offering its services at inflated prices.
Among the 14 companies that submitted their bids for the tender, Bud-Technology was reportedly the third-highest bidder and proposed to rebuild the heavily damaged building for a total of Hr 307 million ($7.4 million).
After the public uproar, Liashko announced that the tender would be held again.
According to the health minister, Zhovnir announced the bidder as the winner of the tender without taking into account the recommendations of the working group that had been created to oversee the reconstruction.
Zhovnir will be temporarily replaced by Oleksandr Urin, head of the department of intensive and efferent therapy of acute intoxications at Okhmatdyt.
Liashko said that the first results of the inspection by the Health Ministry's commission showed "distortion of key information" which is officially reported to him. The police are conducting a pre-trial investigation into possible wrongdoing, the health minister added.
"All circumstances must be established. All those responsible must be punished. The hospital must be rebuilt. Everything must be done clearly, transparently, quickly and in accordance with the law," Liashko said.
According to the health minister, further reconstruction of Okhmatdyt will be overseen by the newly-created Restoration Council, which includes representatives of the companies that made some of the biggest donations to the fundraisers.
Natalia Yermak
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