About 70% of the patients in most grand of Ukraine childrenfrom the hospital were evacuated, but hundreds still remain as Russian shelling and shelling continues to rain down down on the capital Kyiv.
Children who cannot be transported stayed in hospital national children’s specialist Okhmatdyt, with the scared young patients continuing their treatment in hospital shelter.
Iryna, 38, the mother of Anastasia, a 12-year-old girl who can not walk for three years and obtained special therapy at the hospital, said they had been in the hospital since the first daytime of the 11 day war – in his words, from the day “it all started”.
Speaking in the basement of the hospital, where a number of other young the sick and their parents rest on mattress on a hallway floorIryna said they spend all day now in shelter and venture at the top just To take care of basic Needs.
“We came here for physiotherapy, antibiotics and rehabilitation,” said Iryna. “My daughter afraid to go there. She is scared of the situation and not want to leave (the hospital) and there is no way anyone can come and pick son up.”
“We’re still here. She’s still here, I’m going up get food and bathe up. Corn, in general, we’re constantly here,” she said. added.
Whenon asked her how she felt about chunking down in a hospital basement as the war continues nearby, Anastasia simply said, “It’s very scary!”
‘Many of disinformation’
Lydia, the hospital press secretarysays she hears “a lot of misinformation” such as that Russian forces “are not bombing houses, but on sees at the hospital that it is not true.”
“Because during the war, more more than 10 injured people were admitted to our hospital alone, most of their children. Of them children dead as one result of bombings by the Russian army,” she said.
“A child brought to us has been already dead. He suffered like a result of bombardment hitting a peaceful (civilian) car his family was moving in. He is dead.”
She added: “Almost all of affected children lost their families. (Russian forces) killed their parents, their brothers and sisters.
The hospital was founded in 1996, and it includes six new units opened less than two years ago with cutting-edge equipment for better treat children. But now he’s surrounded by a war that moves closer every day.
Despite shelling and shelling, the hospital continues to treat children who need and even does surgeries in what is now a war zone, Lydia said.
“We evacuated a lot children who were in serious condition to others countries – This is, in a condition in that they might survive the trip,” she explained. “We did seven operations in the hospital in the last 24 hours. These were operations for newborns, neurological and orthopedic surgeries.
Lydya pointed out that as the war rages on the children’s hospital is “also Ready to help not only children corn also adults.”
“Our doctors spend here at night and can provide all necessary medical care day and night,” she said.
Hospital under fire
Even the hospital – a place that under the Geneva Convention and other rules of war should never be a target – fell under fire Russian forces, Lydya said.
“The Russian army is bombing hospitals and ambulances. Our hospital also endured like a result of bombardment near the hospital, (and) three bullets hit the windows of the hospital, to one of the buildings where children are usually located,” she said.
“No one was injured, everyone was evacuated from this room,” she said. added.
From February 24, the very first daytime of the war, the number of the patients in most grand from the country children’s hospital began to drop car many patients have been discharged, she said, while some elective surgeries have been delayed.
“We were only doing emergency surgeries. So at the hospital, where we usually had more more than 1,000 patients, already on the first daytime of the war, there were only 300 left,” she said.
As the hospital cooperates with several foreign clinics, Lydya said she had already transferred over 50 cancer patients to these establishments.
“Now they are on their way to Poland, Germany and other European countries countries. Currently, we have about 200 patients in the hospital,” she said.
Lydya said she herself saw a shell coming down near the hospital, adding that: “There was a kind of explosion, all our windows, all the doors were shaken.”
“So of Of course we are afraid for our patients,” she said. added. “We can provide medical care, but unfortunately not one can guarantee their safety now.”
