LEGAL LIABILITY FOR CORRUPTION OFFENSES IN THE MEDICAL SPHERE OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article examines the issue of legal liability for corruption offenses in the medical sector of Ukraine in the context of the current state of anti-corruption policy, regulatory regulation and law enforcement practice. Healthcare as one of the key sectors of the social sphere remains vulnerable to manifestations of corruption, in particular in the forms of obtaining undue advantage, abuse of official position, forgery of documents, violation of restrictions on conflict of interest. This necessitates the analysis of the effectiveness of existing mechanisms of legal liability and the identification of legal gaps that impede the formation of an effective anti-corruption environment in the healthcare sector.The content and specifics of the application of criminal, administrative, disciplinary liability against medical workers and officials involved in the management of the healthcare sector are investigated. The norms of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, legislation on the prevention of corruption and by-laws regulating the behavior of employees of medical institutions were analyzed. The conclusion was made that there are significant problems in terms of bringing the guilty to justice, in particular, the selectivity of law enforcement, the formal approach to investigating cases, the lack of proper protection of whistleblowers and the low quality of statistical accounting of offenses. Special attention is paid to international standards in the field of combating corruption and Ukraine's obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption and the Association Agreement with the EU. It was determined that the domestic practice of legal liability for corruption offenses in the medical sector requires harmonization with European approaches, which provide for systematic work in three areas: punishment, prevention and education. The need to develop sectoral anti-corruption programs, strengthen the institutional capacity of control bodies and the judiciary, and introduce digital tools for monitoring and responding to corruption risks was emphasized. The study concluded that effective legal liability in the medical field should be based on a comprehensive approach that covers both legal and organizational, managerial and cultural components of anti-corruption policy. The author justifies the feasibility of strengthening mechanisms for preventing corruption at the level of internal regulations of medical institutions, enhancing the role of the public and ensuring proper legal protection for patients and employees who report facts of offenses. A number of recommendations are proposed to improve current legislation and increase the effectiveness of its application in the healthcare sector.