The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, visited the Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital. She was joined by the President's authorized representative for disability issues, Tetiana Lomakina, the founder of the "School of Superheroes," Deputy Minister of Education and Science Yevheniia Smyrnova, the head of the "Accessibility" public organization, and the head of the Coordination Center for Mental Health at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Oksana Zbitnieva.
The hospital serves approximately 400,000 children in the Kyiv region, as well as from other regions of Ukraine, including internally displaced persons, providing medical services to an average of about 10,000 children per year. It has a higher accreditation category, is certified for ISO, and can operate autonomously.
Olena Zelenska emphasized that the hospital is one of 25 medical institutions in the country that have become participants in the International Medical Partnership project by signing a corresponding memorandum during the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on September 6, 2023. The partner of this institution is Denmark's largest children's hospital, Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital – Rigshospitalet for Children, Teens, and Expecting Families.
"Such direct cooperation between institutions will allow us to exchange experience, best practices, improve the qualifications of medical professionals, and save more lives," the First Lady noted.
The First Lady also visited the "School of Superheroes," which operates within the hospital. This is a state project under the patronage of Olena Zelenska, which organizes and provides educational services to children aged 3 to 18 who are on long-term inpatient treatment or receiving rehabilitation in healthcare institutions to ensure the continuity of their education. Currently, it is implemented in 11 medical facilities across the country.
The Educational Center of the "School of Superheroes" at the Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital has been operating since May 2023, despite ongoing renovation works. There are two classrooms: one for middle and high school students and another for primary school students with a separate play area for preschoolers. As of October 1, 2023, educational services have been provided to 255 children. The staff includes a methodologist, educators specializing in various areas, and a psychologist.
"This is a fitting name because it is truly heroic to learn despite health problems and in spite of them. By acquiring knowledge, children distract themselves from medical procedures and feel a sense of perspective, seeing their own future," Olena Zelenska emphasized.
In addition, the First Lady visited the hospital's rehabilitation department. Here, assistance is provided to children under 18 with functional limitations and high-level disabilities. The department is staffed with qualified specialists.
The hospital has established a complex of departments for families with children with disabilities, from the rehabilitation department, where a multidisciplinary team of doctors (occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, speech therapists) works, to palliative care.
"It is important that there is a whole range of services available to the local community's families with children with disabilities based on the Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital, and that this complex is expanding even during the war. This means that the state can provide the best medical care and is working on development," emphasized the President's wife.
She also visited patients in the hospital's palliative care department. The department has created conditions for treating pain syndrome with non-narcotic and narcotic drugs, for necessary laboratory and instrumental examinations, oxygen and respiratory support, and comprehensive care for patients with complex incurable diseases and their families.
"Let me remind you: palliative care is not a scary word at all. It means support for those with chronic diseases and conditions who strive for a high-quality and comfortable life. Absolutely all patients, both young and adult, deserve both life and its quality. Therefore, it is important to fight for both," Olena Zelenska is convinced.
