Supervisory boards are to be set up at three hospitals in Mykolaiv; otherwise, funding will not be provided
- Julia LukyanenkoReporter
Supervisory boards are to be set up at three hospitals in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti archiveSupervisory boards are to be established at three hospitals in Mykolaiv — №3, №4 and №5. To this end, the city council must set up a selection committee, which will operate on a permanent basis and select members of the supervisory boards. The Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Housing and Communal Services supported the draft resolution, but with reservations.
This was discussed during the committees’ meetings on 26 August, according to NikVesti.
The draft resolution proposes that the city council begin forming a permanent committee to conduct selection processes for the appointment of independent members to the supervisory boards of hospitals. As explained by Tetiana Dmytrova, deputy head of the municipal property department, this is a legal requirement; otherwise, hospitals will not be able to receive funding.
«In the healthcare sector, the establishment of supervisory boards in healthcare institutions is a mandatory requirement of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NSZU). If supervisory boards are not established in cluster hospitals and specialist hospitals by 1 January 2027, they will not receive funding for their services. In other words, this is a legal requirement that we must comply with,» explained Tetiana Dmytrova.
Olena Kiseliova (European Solidarity party), Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs, noted that as far back as 2024, the Mykolaiv City Council had obliged the executive bodies to establish a supervisory board for City Council №4. However, to date, this decision has not been implemented.
«If we had a supervisory board in place at City Hospital №4 today, many of the issues that are currently arising and being addressed would already have been resolved with its involvement,» remarked the councillor.
Meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs. Screenshot from the broadcastOlena Kiseliova proposed amendments to the draft decision. In particular, she proposed that no one should be able to adopt separate regulations concerning the selection committee without the approval of the council. In addition, the councillor proposed that separate regulations governing the supervisory board be drawn up for each hospital, given the specific nature of healthcare facilities. Accordingly, members of the supervisory board must possess specific qualifications and experience.
At a meeting of the Committee on Housing and Communal Services, the deputy head of the Municipal Property Department explained that the committee should comprise three representatives from the facility’s owner, two representatives from the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, and three representatives from civil society organisations, trade unions and charitable organisations. They will elect the members of the supervisory boards.
According to Tetiana Dmytrova, this is only the first stage in the process of seeking candidates to join the supervisory board. A selection committee must be approved separately. Proposals regarding the members of the selection committee and the supervisory board must be approved by councillors. All this must be completed by 1 January 2027.
In response to questions from MPs, Tetiana Dmytrova clarified that the requirement to establish supervisory boards currently applies to three hospitals, provided their status as cluster hospitals is approved: Hospitals №4, №3 and №5.
«And if they do not become cluster hospitals, but remain general-purpose hospitals, they may also have supervisory boards. And they must enter into contracts with the National Health Service of Ukraine from 1 January 2027, provided they have supervisory boards. In other words, this is a mandatory requirement,» said Tetiana Dmytrova.
Meeting of the Committee on Housing and Communal Services. Screenshot from the broadcastThe MPs also raised the issue of remuneration for members of the supervisory board. Tetiana Dmytrova explained that in non-profit organisations, remuneration may be paid with the owner’s consent. Supervisory boards must have both dependent members — representatives of the owner, who are not paid for their work — and independent members. The latter may receive remuneration at the enterprise’s expense. However, this must be specified in a contract.
«All of this will be determined by a civil law contract. As far as I understand, there is currently no question of remuneration at all. In other words, at present, these people can work for free if we stipulate this in these regulations and in the civil law contract. In other words, there are currently no funds available to enable us to do this. At least not this year,» replied Tetiana Dmytrova.
She clarified that in 2024, the Mykolaiv City Council approved the criteria under which utility companies are required to establish supervisory boards. These include the regional heating and power company, the water utility and the electric transport company. This decision must be implemented.
«Under the Civil Code, the city council must approve the criteria according to which municipal enterprises must establish supervisory boards. We have approved them. Prior to approval, this provision was non-binding. Once we approved it, the provision became mandatory,» clarified the deputy head of the municipal property department.
The draft resolution, incorporating amendments from the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Housing and Communal Services, has been agreed upon. It is now to be considered by the Mykolaiv City Council.
As a reminder, in April, members of the Mykolaiv City Council supported a decision to reorganise the city’s healthcare network, which involves the creation of a cluster hospital and the transfer of one of the maternity hospitals to the region’s ownership.
In addition, a preliminary draft of a capacity-based hospital network was presented to the Mykolaiv Regional Council. The document provides for the classification of hospitals into super-cluster, cluster, general and community hospitals, depending on their capacity, population size, range of medical services, equipment and staffing levels.