In the past few months, Todurov has twice visited HARD with Vlaschenko on ZIK, and in the end of February the same TV channel interviewed him once more. We have assessed how competent the surgeon was to comment on the issues raised. Spoiler – not competent at all.
Boris Todurov is an ambiguous character. On the one hand, he is a well-known Ukrainian cardiac surgeon, Honored Doctor of Ukraine, and director of the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health (and this list of his official regalia does not end there). Ukraine was the first to carry out a number of complex operations, and in 2017 there were even rumors that he could become the Minister of Health.
But there is another side of this medal.
In 2014 he visited already occupied Crimea to operate the mother of Sergii Aksyonov – one of the most famous collaborators with Russia. He faced numerous allegations of corruption from the former Health Minister Ulyana Suprun and investigative journalists. And in early 2017, Todurov accused Suprun of absence of drugs at the Heart Institute. An information war broke out between him and the MoH. At that time, VoxCheck scrutinised two main articles of this conflict, and the results were disappointing for Boris Todurov – there was hardly any truth in his words. Read more in Medical VoxCheck: Todurov vs the Ministry of Health
In this article, we have compiled and verified the most striking and bizarre statements on ZIK tv channel over the last 4 months.
Manipulation
“The tariff for heart surgery is about 22 thousand 600 hryvnias. Heart surgery. Its real value, according to our calculations, which we count ourselves is somewhere around 250 thousand. Net cost. As of consumables, if all the consumables are included, then this is about 250 thousand. The NHSU sets us a tariff of 22 thousand.”
First, the Cabinet resolution (page 6) states directly that the tariff does not include the cost of medicines, medical devices and consumables.
Secondly, it is not clear how exactly Todurov estimated the cost of the operation at 250 thousand. For example, a representative of the Amosov Institute named the figures –100-120 thousand hryvnias – twice below the ones mentioned by Todurov.
The average life expectancy of men in Ukraine is 67 years.
Manipulation
“Anti-epidemiological measures are implemented in all countries by corresponding services. In Ukraine, several years ago, the service, a so-called “Sanitary Epidemiological Station-SES” was closed. And since then, enthusiasts have been battling epidemics.”
The Public Health Centers are responsible for the epidemic control after the elimination of the sanitary epidemiological station.
False
“They say that there are vaccines (for coronavirus – ed.). For now, some of them are even imported illegally, because they were not in Ukraine until recently. I know that some private clinics are importing some vaccines and already using them.”
No. There is currently no evidence of a coronavirus vaccine. Moreover, vaccine development and mass production will take 12 to 18 months.
False
“Judging by the mortality rate, there was no such a virus in the world yet. With such mortality as it is now” (coronavirus – ed.)
It is not true. Coronavirus mortality ranges from 2-3%, mainly among the elderly. This is a significantly lower mortality rate than Ebola (40.4%), MERS respiratory syndrome (34.4%) or SARS (9.6%).
For reference: It is too early to talk about the final death rate from the virus, as it is still spreading. As a result, mortality may rise (as, for example, with SARS – while the epidemic lasted, mortality was fixed at 2-3 percent, but increased to 9.6% at the end of the epidemic), and may fall when it becomes clear how many people were cured without even going to the hospital.
False
“Today, the physicians do not make home visits, it is problematic to get an appointment, the temperature is 40 – one cannot call an ambulance”
Nowadays the ambulance is coming to the calls. Including for high body temperature calls. Thanks to the electronic system, you can make an appointment online and in the usual way – at the hospital. Doctors make home visits by personal agreements. It should be understood that if doctors go to every call, the number of patients they will examine will be much smaller.
For reference: On May 22, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the concept of emergency medical care development. Emergency medicine and urgent care are not identical.
Emergency medicine comes when there is a threat to life. Urgent – when there is no threat to life, but to health. The concepts are planned to be divided in order to respond effectively to cases that can have fatal consequences.
In addition, the ambulance comes not only in cases of high temperature.
Only in the case of ARD the ambulance may not visit the patient. It is assumed that the patient can reach the hospital on his own. This practice is widespread in Western countries – in particular in the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic States, the United Kingdom, Germany and others.
Exaggeration
“Suprun named the main character (the movie “Lethal Kittens” – Nashi Kotyky (original title) ed.), the most negative character exactly the same Boris Todurov.”
There is a character named Boris Todurov in the movie, but he is not the main negative character of the film and rarely appears in the frame.
False
“This is a Soros fund – Horizon Capital, which buys all major private clinics” (this fund belongs to a girl from Canada who’s task is to buy medical institutions in Ukraine – Ed.).
“Horizon Capital” aims to support entrepreneurs and the business environment in Ukraine. The Fund did not buy all the private clinics, but only invested in the “Dobrobut” Medical Center and the “Boris” Clinic and owns their shares.
One of the founders of Horizon Capital is Olena Kosharna. She was indeed born in Canada. But she has been living and working in Ukraine for over 26 years. Kosharna holds a senior position at the American government’s fund (Western NIS Enterprise Fund).
We did not find evidence that any of the Soros funds have a share in “Horizon Capital”.
Truth
“They actually added 10% (in the 2020 budget for health care – ed.) to what it was.”
At the time of this statement, the budget for 2020 for health care was added by 11% compared to 2019, so the verdict – true.
Manipulation
“In the last 5 years, Ukraine has lost almost 3 million of retired citizens. Their number decreased from 13 to 10 million. These are people who have not gone abroad, they are dead.”
From 2014 to 2019, the number of senior citizens decreased from 13.5 million to 11.5 million. First of all it is 2 million, not “almost three”. Second, not all of these people died. This is primarily due to the fact that since 2015, the State Statistics Service providing data without taking into account the Crimea and ORDLO (Temporarily occupied and uncontrolled territories of Ukraine). Additionally, it should be understood that part of the 2019 seniors did not retire in 2014
False
“There are some kind of “e-health” that belongs to private people, which contain the data of 20 million people – personal data. This is contrary to the law on personal data protection.”
The functioning of the e-Health system is ensured through the National Health Service of Ukraine, and administers the data and controls the system of the state-owned eHealth Enterprise.
In addition, patients’ personal data are collected only with their written consent, and only the so-called “insensitive” data is processed in the system – passport data, individual tax number, residence address. This data is provided for most services in Ukraine, such as banks or social services.
False
“The Accounting Chamber has already considered everything and made its verdict that it is unprofitable, that it is dangerous” (buy medicines with the help of international organizations – ed.)
The Accounting Chamber report states that while corruption is not completely eliminated in the area of procurement, transfer of procurement to international organizations saves 40% of the budget.
For reference: For the Ministry of Health, drugs are procured by international organizations. For example, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program and Crown Agents companies. These public procurements started in 2015. And in September 2019, Parliament continued its international procurement of medicines for another two years. However, now some of the purchases performed by international organizations have already been transferred to the State Enterprise “Medical Procurement”. In a few years, this company will carry out all purchases of medicines under state programs.
Attention
The authors do not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have no relevant affiliations
