A meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) was held under the leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky, where serious abuses by officials in the field of obtaining disability status were discussed.
Read more: A new approach to determining disability in Ukraine: what the Ministry of Health proposes
Problem with MSEC
Participants in the meeting, including the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk and Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, presented the results of checks and investigations that revealed numerous cases of fraudulent disabilities among civil servants. This issue has become relevant due to an increase in complaints about unlawful actions in the medical and social expertise system.
Government Actions
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, and Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych presented a plan of action at the governmental level. Key steps include:
- Digitalization of Processes — all stages of the work of medical and social expert commissions (MSEC) will be transferred to an electronic format.
- Verification of Declarations — thorough verification of the declarations of MSEC members to identify conflicts of interest.
- Audit of Pensions — review of unjustified decisions regarding disability status of officials and audit of relevant pension payments.
Reforms and Accountability
To prevent such abuses, the NSDC identified the need for urgent legislative changes to reform the medical and social expertise system in Ukraine. Emphasis was placed on personal accountability for the situation.
Additionally, the importance of personnel decisions in central executive authorities was highlighted, as well as the political responsibility of the Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin for the situation in the prosecutor’s office.
Conclusions
The NSDC meeting underscored the seriousness of the disability issue in Ukraine and the state’s intention to take measures to ensure justice in this area. Implementing the planned reforms will be an important step in combating abuses and increasing transparency in the medical and social expertise system.
