Conflict Between “Okhmatdyt” Hospital and Charity Fund: Reconstruction Funds Remain in Fund’s Account

The Director of the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt,” Volodymyr Zhovnir, has claimed that the charity fund “Okhmatdyt – Healthy Childhood,” which received donations for the hospital’s reconstruction following the July 8 attack, is refusing to transfer the collected funds to the hospital’s official accounts. Zhovnir made this announcement on his Facebook page, as reported by Suspilne Kyiv.

According to Zhovnir, the fund’s name includes “Okhmatdyt,” which led donors to believe that the funds would be used appropriately and solely for reconstruction purposes. However, Zhovnir revealed that as of August 16, 2024, the 378 million UAH remains in the fund’s account and that the fund does not plan to transfer the money to the hospital.

Zhovnir is demanding that the fund transfer all the money received for the hospital’s reconstruction to the Okhmatdyt Treasury account. He also indicated that the hospital is considering terminating its relationship with the fund due to what he describes as dishonesty and potential fraud.

What the “Okhmatdyt – Healthy Childhood” Fund Says

In an interview on “Suspilne Studio,” the head of the charity fund “Okhmatdyt – Healthy Childhood,” Yevhen Vember, confirmed that all the funds collected for the hospital’s reconstruction, totaling over 378 million UAH, are still in the fund’s account. Vember added that the fund has not received any official requests from the hospital regarding the need to transfer the money. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health has not provided any guidance on the legal mechanism for such a transfer.

Vember stated, “We are ready to transfer the funds for any specific need. However, we have not received any letters from the hospital. There is no legal basis for transferring the funds from the charity account to the hospital account in one lump sum. Therefore, we are waiting for legal mechanisms. If we receive such a legal mechanism, we will transfer the funds.”

Later, in a comment to “Suspilne Studio,” Zhovnir confirmed that specific target designations for the charity fund had not been provided. However, it was noted that experts are currently preparing a detailed damage assessment.

This conflict has attracted attention and sparked discussion about transparency in charitable organizations and their accountability to the public.

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