First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, along with Danish Minister for Health Sophie Løhde and CEO at Mary Elizabeth's Hospital in Copenhagen Merete Lange, who were on a visit to Kyiv, visited the Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital in Boyarka.
The visit took place in the framework of the international medical partnership concluded by the heads of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and 14 countries on the sidelines of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on September 6, 2023.
The medical partnership proposed by Ukraine involves direct cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign medical institutions. There are already 29 memoranda of understanding that have brought together 21 Ukrainian and 26 foreign institutions from 15 countries.
One of the partnerships was concluded between the Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital in Boyarka and Mary Elizabeth's Hospital in Copenhagen. This largest hospital in the country provides care not only to children and adolescents, but also to pregnant women and families, which ensures a continuous monitoring process and the possibility of early detection of many problems and diseases.
"Less than six months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Copenhagen, and it was then that I visited this hospital. It impresses with its cutting-edge approaches, where the children, their needs and interests are at the center of everything. During the visit, I told my Danish colleagues about the International Medical Partnership initiative we launched together with the Ministry of Health and, in particular, suggested that Kyiv Regional Children's Hospital in Boyarka be considered as a partner. I am extremely happy to see the cooperation between our countries in action," Olena Zelenska said.
The Kyiv Regional Hospital provides services to about 400,000 children in Kyiv region and other regions of Ukraine, including temporarily displaced persons, treating up to 10,000 children a year on average. It has the highest accreditation category and is ISO certified, can operate autonomously, and is equipped with its own well with a water tank, powerful diesel generators, an oxygen station, and a solid fuel boiler.
The First Lady emphasized that the Kyiv Regional Hospital also has a lot to share with its colleagues.
The hospital is home to the Superheroes School, a government project under the patronage of the President's wife that provides educational services to children aged 3 to 18 who are inpatients or receiving rehabilitation care in healthcare facilities to ensure the continuity of their education. Currently, it operates in 11 medical institutions across the country. There are two classes: the first is for children in grades 5-11, and the second is for elementary school students with separate recreation for preschoolers.
The hospital also hosts a rehabilitation department that provides rehabilitative support to children under 18 with limitations in daily functioning and children with severe disabilities. The department provides physical rehabilitation services (therapeutic exercises, positioning, joint mobility exercises, exercise therapy, massage), ergotherapy, etc.
The medical institution has a palliative care unit. Its inpatient department has conditions for treating pain syndrome with non-narcotic and narcotic drugs, conducting the necessary laboratory and instrumental examinations, oxygen and respiratory support, and providing comprehensive support to patients with complex incurable diseases and their families with the involvement of a multidisciplinary team of doctors.
The guests visited the Superheroes School and hospital departments, talked to patients, their families and medical staff.
"A human-centered approach to treatment is when you get both medication and emotional support, a sense of physical and mental comfort, care and concern beyond medical procedures. That is, a lot of different things that work towards the same goal – recovery and quality of life. We are glad to work on all this together with medical partners from Denmark and around the world," Olena Zelenska emphasized.