'Humanitarian catastrophe going on' says hospital head in Kyiv as children cannot get help

By Jeyhun Aliyev

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Children at Ukraine's largest specialized child hospital have nothing but to bear the high cost of the ongoing war in the country.

Child patients at the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in the capital Kyiv since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine are forced to spend most of their days in the underground shelters and basements, sleeping on the floors in narrow corridors, as bombardment warning siren sounds became almost constant in the city.

Volodymyr Jovmir, director of children's hospital, told Anadolu Agency that with the war, they were forced to reduce the number of patients to 200 while in ordinary days, the hospital was able to receive over 600 patients.

"Now there are about 200 and there are those patients who cannot survive without medical service, that is, those who need medicines, medical equipment, medical workers," he said.

He emphasized that the hospital also accepts "urgent patients," those who need emergency care.

"But the number of these patients has sharply decreased due to hostilities. People can't get there. There is war all around, there are air raid alerts, and you see shooting in the streets. The war is terrible, and if you ask how to help us, please stop the war, that is, do it from the outside (of Ukraine) so that the aggression stops so that they (Russia) don't shoot here so that we don't get bombed," said Jovmir.

He went on to say that the hospital recently received four children with injuries from bullets and shrapnel wounds.

- 'Humanitarian catastrophe'

Saddened that the journalists only asked him about the bullet wounds, Jovmir said: "In my opinion, now there is a big humanitarian catastrophe over Ukraine because children with ordinary appendicitis cannot get help."

"Children who need insulin cannot get help either. We don't have formula either for the babies who need breast milk whose mothers do not have breast milk. And there are actually a lot of such problems," he added.

Jovmir hailed the press members for "not being afraid" and visiting the hospital, adding that "they see it all and they do everything possible to stop the war."

"I ask the whole world to stop this war. I ask you to make sure that Russia does not have the opportunity to bomb our cities, bomb residential areas, and make it so that we, doctors, are not being able to help children.

"The biggest drawback (in our hospital) is the lack of peace. Because if there's an alarm going on and the operating room is on the 6th floor, how can medics help during a shelling? In theory, they should drop everything and run downstairs (to the basement or shelter). How can they then forget about babies? Or children who are in intensive care and need artificial ventilation and oxygen, what about them?"

Jovmir underlined that only the main hospital rooms have necessary conditions "that allow this child to survive.

"Therefore, medical volunteers remain with such children (during bombardment). They risk their lives, but they do everything possible to keep the children alive," he said.

- Operation of hospital under martial law

Oleg Godik, a pediatric surgeon and an associate professor at the hospital, said they have been working tense for the past five days since the start of Russian aggression.

"From the first hour of the war, we opened a hospital here, understanding the strategic direction and strategic location of our children's clinic. We have decided that we do as much as possible to provide assistance to both the civilian population and our military, to support them," he said.
"We have been open to everyone since the first hour of the war. Today, we help everyone. Patients were intensively received for the first two days, these were wounded people. Unfortunately, these were children who were shot in the street. There was a family that was driving a car and they were shot. We accepted all the children, unfortunately, one child died," Godik added.

Godik highlighted that they are currently operating "as normal as possible."

"The day before, we received our first patient, whose entire car was shot in the same way. He is the only one who survived. He had a mine-shrapnel injury to the neck and was bleeding. Now, he is in intensive care, in critical condition. (Previously wounded) five people are stable. We are taking care of them," he added.

The surgeon also thanked everyone for supporting Ukraine.

"We will stand to the end. We are the country that does not retreat, and, as you can see, our military doctors are standing here and we will stand here because this is our land," he said.

Godik noted that the hospital does not need anything and is fully provided with all required things.

"We received everything we needed during the first hours of operation of the hospital under martial law thanks to our administration. The (city) administration is carrying out logistical work and everything is stable with us. Everything is fine. We are working. Glory to Ukraine," he concluded.