PL | EN

Kyiv

Paediatric hospital

Ochmatdyt Pediatric Hospital is probably the most modern hospital in Kyiv. Before the Russian attack on February 24th, doctors could carry out even the most complex operations here.

From the beginning of the war, not only children were admitted here, but also other injured people.

The children from the new rooms were moved to the basement, which became a shelter. The hospital had lost its efficiency in treating patients. Of all the operating theatres, only two were operational, and the hospital had supplies for one month of operation in March.

The emergency room doctor struggled to hold back tears as he talked about his patients in March. He said they were preparing documentation for a kidney transplant but did not believe the hospital could perform such an operation in the basement.

Children are afraid because they do not understand the situation. They can't go outside. They can't go to the playroom. Parents are terrified because they know their children's health is threatened not only by the bombing of the city but also by the inability to perform the surgeries. Some children had 100% regression in treatment. But also, many probably stopped reaching the hospital.

Before the attack, about 30 children a month were hospitalised with appendicitis. Only one such child arrived in March.

The hospital was also hit by a shell in March and was under fire several times. While it was challenging to treat it as a coincidence due to the location of the hospital, people hoped that these were not deliberate actions. But the following months and the shelling of the hospitals in Mariupol and Severodonetsk showed that these were deliberate bombings.

Ukrainian
Odyssey