The director of the Mykolaiv blood transfusion centre has denied selling plasma suitable for patients to a private company
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- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
Laboratory tests at the blood transfusion centre. Archive photo: NikVestiSerhiy Matviyenko, acting director of the Mykolaiv Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, stated that the centre had never sold plasma suitable for transfusion to patients to private companies. According to him, only material that could not be used in healthcare facilities was sent for processing.
This was his comment on the criminal proceedings previously reported by NikVesti.
It should be recalled that, according to the investigation, the station’s management may have sold donor plasma suitable for transfusion to the company «Biofarma» under the guise of unsuitable raw material.
The director, however, maintains that the plasma in question was unsuitable for treating patients from the very outset.
«There are a number of reasons why the plasma was unsuitable for distribution to healthcare facilities right from the start, when we collected it. For example, if more than six hours have elapsed between collection and separation. In such cases, the red blood cells can be used,» said Serhii Matviienko.
Such plasma, he explains, undergoes quarantine before being sent for processing. He noted that there is only one company in Ukraine that processes it, namely «Biofarma».
The station manager also explained that he had only taken charge of the facility on 5 January 2026, and that the practice of transferring unsuitable plasma had existed even before his appointment.
«All blood transfusion centres hand over plasma that has either not been in demand for more than 12 months or that was unsuitable for human use from the outset. This was the established procedure before I arrived. My mistake was that, in my two months in the role, I was unable to fully grasp all aspects of the legislation. But this situation has now been rectified. We will not hand over anything until at least 12 months have passed,» the director noted.
At the same time, the director emphasised that no formal notice of suspicion had been served on him following the searches. Nothing was seized during the investigative operations in his office or at his home.
«I have the search reports, which state that nothing was found or seized in my office. Nothing was seized from my home either; they didn’t even take my phone,» he said.
