The corruption scandal surrounding medical and social expert commissions (MSEC) has exposed a systemic problem that has struck the very essence of medical and social care in Ukraine.
However, with all the attention paid to government agencies that are supposed to control the issuance of disability status, little is said about one key link in this corruption scheme – doctors. It was they who played a fundamental role in the process of assigning fictitious disability, creating the “correct” diagnoses that served as the basis for all subsequent manipulations.
Without the participation of doctors who falsified medical diagnoses, it would have been impossible to complete a single package of documents to obtain the status of a person with a disability. This made them a central figure in a corrupt system that allowed people to buy certificates in order to avoid conscription or receive unjustified benefits. And it is precisely this link in the system that requires not only exposure, but also the strictest reforms.
Falsification of diagnoses: how did the scheme work?
- Medical grounds for disability. Each person applying for the status of a person with a disability undergoes a medical examination and receives an appropriate diagnosis, which becomes the basis for assigning disability. It was at this stage that doctors played their key role – they falsified the results of medical examinations, entering false information into medical documents. As a result, people who were completely healthy “received” serious illnesses or injuries, which allowed them to avoid mobilization or receive social benefits.
- MSEC Partnership. Doctors often collaborated with MSEC representatives to ensure “successful” completion of all stages of disability registration. As a result, fake disability documents passed through all authorities and the status of a person with a disability was granted quickly and smoothly. Without the participation of doctors who falsified diagnoses, this would have been impossible.
- Financial benefit. Doctors participating in this scheme received significant financial benefits from their activities. The price for a fake disability certificate could reach thousands of dollars, and this made them active participants in a corruption network. They sold not only medical certificates, but also trust in the medical system as a whole.
Consequences for the country
The participation of doctors in falsifying diagnoses to obtain disability had devastating consequences not only for the social protection system, but also for the country’s defense capability. False disabilities became a tool for evading mobilization, which undermined Ukraine’s military capabilities at a critical moment. Thousands of men who were supposed to defend the country bought the status of a person with a disability and thus avoided service.
In addition, such schemes undermine trust in medical institutions and the state as a whole. People who really need help are forced to go through many obstacles and are often refused, while corrupt officials sell status to those who can pay.
How to stop corruption in the medical sector
- Strict control and medicinal license. In civilized countries, there has long been a mechanism for a medical license, which strictly controls the work of doctors. For example, in the USA, losing a license is a real horror for any doctor, without exception, because it is a consequence of many years of training and huge financial costs. This system forces doctors to think thousands of times before making a fraudulent diagnosis. In Ukraine, the introduction of a medical license, as well as criminal liability for crimes in the healthcare sector, will become an effective guard against abuse.
- Digitalization of medical data. The transition to electronic medical records and digitization of the process of obtaining disability will make all stages of registration transparent and easy to control. The introduction of an artificial intelligence system for data analysis will reduce the influence of the so-called human factor. This will avoid manipulation of paper documents and reduce the possibility of falsification.
- Independent control commissions. The formation of new MSECs should take place with the participation of independent experts, in particular doctors from the private sector, who would not depend on local medical institutions and officials associated with corruption schemes. Such a commission should not exist for more than a year with the same composition – this will not allow it to “grow” with stable corruption ties. Transparency and independence in the formation of such bodies is the key to stopping abuses in the future.
The liquidation of MSEC is only the beginning, because corruption schemes have taken root at the level of the foundations of the medical system. Ukraine should strive to introduce mechanisms that successfully operate in civilized countries. The introduction of a medical license and strict control, including digitalization and independent commissions with temporary composition, will reduce corruption and restore confidence in the medical system.