Oleg Musiy
The name of the scandalous former Health Minister Oleh Musiy is well known to most Ukrainians. The member of parliament of the 8th convocation was ousted from the Cabinet of Ministers in October of last year. However, Musiy wasn't particularly saddened and soon won the parliamentary elections in the 124th single-mandate constituency in the Lviv region and immediately joined the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction. However, in July 2015, Oleh Stepanovych joined the People's Control party, led by Dmytro Dombrovskyi. This, in turn, means that Musiy will be competing against his former political allies in the local elections in October.
A businessman doctor from the 90s
Oleh Musiy hails from a rural background, born into a simple family of civil servants in the village of Perespa, Lviv Oblast. Beginning in 1983, the people's deputy served as a board member of the A. O. Kisel Student Scientific Society while studying at the Bogomolets Kyiv Medical Institute. Musiy began his career in 1987 as a nurse in the intensive care unit of Kyiv Clinical Hospital No. 25. He also completed an internship in anesthesiology and resuscitation at the Kyiv Medical Institute. During the collapse of the USSR, Oleh worked as an anesthesiologist and resuscitator in the rehabilitation department of the Neurosurgical Research Institute. At that time, the young doctor never even considered a political career.
During the turbulent 90s, Musiy became involved in Ukraine's business sector, serving, among other things, as deputy director for medical affairs at the Adolis joint venture and director of the Viola joint venture for the production of medical equipment.
In the mid-90s, in addition to his business activities, Oleg Stepanovych became one of the founders of the All-Ukrainian Medical Society, which he headed for 11 years. From May 2005 to February 28, 2014, he served as Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. He was elected to this position four consecutive times. In 2006, he became Vice President of the Ukrainian Medical-Legal Association.
Oleh Musiy was the coordinator of the Euromaidan medical service and a member of the Euromaidan medical squad. It was during the Ukrainian revolution that he gained popularity due to his personal involvement in assisting those wounded during the protests in Kyiv. At the time of the appointment of the "Kamikaze government," he was essentially the only candidate for the post of Minister of Health. However, at the same time, numerous incriminating materials appeared in the media implicating Musiy in the disappearance of a huge quantity of medications sent to Maidan activists. (According to various sources, the total value of the missing medications exceeded 7 million hryvnias.)
Oleg Musiy during the Maidan revolution
Complaints against the newly appointed Minister of Health began almost from his first days in office. Despite promises to reduce drug prices by 30-40% by eliminating corruption in procurement, problems with drug supplies to the Ukrainian market only worsened. The climax came when the minister proposed that wounded ATO soldiers buy their own medications. By mid-summer 2014, only 25% of imported medications intended for patients receiving state-funded medications (AIDS, tuberculosis, and cancer) had been delivered to Ukraine. This became the official reason for the politician's dismissal. However, the roots may lie much deeper than this.
Video of Musiy's commentary on his dismissal:
Oleg Musiy's "Dangerous" Friends
One of the close associates of former Health Minister Oleh Musiy is businessman Mykola Kuzma, who owns the companies Ukrspetsmed, Ukrmed, and Kyivspetsresurs. Incidentally, these firms won 90% of all medical equipment procurement tenders under the previous administration. During Viktor Yushchenko's presidency, this businessman was involved in purchasing radiation therapy devices for cancer tumors (incidentally, developed countries have long since abandoned this equipment due to its low precision and poor technical characteristics). Under Viktor Yanukovych, Kuzma also prospered, supplying ambulances with state budget funds (700 million, by the way). These ambulances were never found. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is, of course, investigating the matter, but Kuzma's name is nowhere to be found.
Another of Oleg Stepanovich's business partners is Mikhail Pasechnik, who previously served as head of the State Service for the Control of Medicines and Drugs. Mikhail is also the owner of the Falbi pharmacy chain, which was until recently predicted to go bankrupt. Pasechnik himself denies owning the chain, claiming he only oversees its operations and resolving financial debts. He was appointed head of the State Service for Medicines and Drugs with the active support of Musiy, but when Oleg Stepanovich was removed, he too was not forgotten, and Mikhail lost his position following his colleague.
Rounding out Oleg Musiy's trio of "partners" is Volodymyr Kurpita, the former head of the State Service for Combating HIV/AIDS and Other Socially Dangerous Diseases, who was also lobbied for by Oleg Musiy before his resignation. Kurpita, like Pasechnik, left his position shortly after the resignation of their "protector." Volodymyr is also known to the public for his scandalous tenure as executive director of the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV (PLHIV). This organization has repeatedly found itself at the epicenter of scandals. Civic activists call the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV a "pocket" organization used by Dmytro Sherembey to lobby for his own financial interests.
Oleg Musiy
Today, Oleh Musiy finds himself in a difficult position, as all of his "protégés" have been removed from power. He left the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in hopes of success in the local elections as part of Dmytro Dombrovskyi's People's Control party. In an interview, Musiy stated that he no longer wants to be a minister, but he continues to persistently pursue power by using all of his "business partners," friends, and political supporters, who are happy to exploit a well-promoted figure for their own ends.
Dmitry Samofalov, for SKELET-info
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