Odrex records dispute exposes 5-year file risk for UAE clinics and insurers

Odrex clinic did not provide the Odesa Regional Military Administration Department of Health with Ihor Melai’s records because it said investigators had seized the originals, but Українські Національні Новини (UNN) reported on 28 September 2026 that certified copies should have remained with the provider.

The highest-stakes readers in the UAE are COOs, CIOs and CFOs. For a Dubai clinic, the lesson is operational: if the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), an insurer, a court or a patient’s legal representative asks for a medical file, the answer cannot depend on one paper folder. The same issue applies in Abu Dhabi under the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) and in the northern emirates under the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).

What UNN reported

UNN said the Odesa department refused to conduct a clinical expert assessment of Melai’s treatment at the private Odrex clinic after the clinic said the records had been seized in criminal proceedings. The patient, Ihor Melai, had been treated for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma for almost eight months. His widow, Olha Melai, asked Ukraine’s Ministry of Health to examine the treatment, the paper records and entries in the electronic healthcare system.

The disputed facts are specific. UNN reported that doctors initially planned eight immunochemotherapy courses, but Melai completed four. A pleural port procedure on 26 April 2025 was described by the family as a minimally invasive intervention expected under local anaesthesia. After the procedure, UNN reported, Melai was moved to intensive care, remained on mechanical ventilation for three days, and had about five litres of fluid drained from his chest cavity in the first 24 hours.

“If the original documents are seized, copies of those documents, certified in accordance with the Rules, and an inventory of the seized documents must remain at the institution.”
Sviatoslav Bolinskyi, CEO of Bolinskyi and Partners, quoted by UNN

UNN said Odrex representatives had also publicly stated that copies existed. The clinic’s position, as described in the Odesa department’s response to Melai’s widow, was that the requested documentation could not be provided because law enforcement had seized it. A court will decide any legal liability. The industry issue is narrower: records governance can block clinical review before a court reaches the merits.

Why this matters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

In Dubai, DHA-licensed facilities use Sheryan for licensing and regulatory interactions. DHA’s published facility guidance says medical records must remain visible and accessible to end users when systems transition, and archived data must be retrievable on request. In Abu Dhabi, DOH’s medical record retention standard requires healthcare facilities to maintain patient medical records for five years from the date of last treatment. DOH also states that access concerning a deceased patient may include inspection by the next of kin, where legally authorised under UAE law.

For CIOs, the Odrex case is a test of audit design. A defensible UAE record system needs four items before a dispute starts:

• A read-only archive for signed clinical notes, operative reports, prescriptions and consent forms.
• A change log showing who edited a record, when the edit occurred and what field changed.
• A certified-copy process when originals are seized, transferred or requested by a regulator.
• A written retention procedure that covers paper files, scanned files, images and insurer correspondence.

For CFOs, the risk is cash and claims defensibility. Insurers such as Daman, Thiqa and Sukoon rely on clinical documentation to test eligibility, pre-authorisation, exclusions and medical necessity. A weak file can turn a clinical dispute into a rejected claim, delayed payment or litigation reserve. Private UAE providers should check their own tariff for medical report fees because there is no single public UAE-wide price list for all private hospitals. Patients can find the applicable amount by asking the facility cashier or patient affairs office for the written tariff before signing a release request.

Operator checklist for UAE providers

COOs should treat seized or disputed files as a business-continuity event. The first step is to preserve the original, create a certified copy where lawful, record the inventory, and restrict later amendments to addenda with timestamps. The second step is to notify the medical director, compliance lead and legal counsel. The third step is to map the request to the correct regulator: DHA in Dubai, DOH in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and MOHAP in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

Patients and families should ask for the full medical record, not a short discharge summary, when care is complex or disputed. A full request should name the admission dates, operative notes, anaesthesia records, medication charts, imaging reports, laboratory results, consent forms, nursing notes, billing records and electronic audit trail where available. Eligibility to receive a deceased patient’s file depends on legal authority, identity proof and the facility’s regulator-approved process.

The practical test for every UAE operator is simple: could the facility produce a regulator-ready file within the timeframe stated in its own policy if the original paper file was unavailable? If the answer is unclear, the risk sits with operations, IT, finance and the medical director. For licensed provider checks, readers should use the UAE Open Healthcare Directory before choosing or benchmarking hospitals and clinics.