Liashko calls restoration of power supply to Okhmatdyt priority
It is now crucial to restore power to the new building of Okhmatdyt to determine which equipment has been damaged.
Health Minister Viktor Liashko said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"Our priority now is to restore the power supply, and potentially tomorrow it can be launched. As soon as it is restored, the heads of the departments based in the new building will complete the audit of the equipment. The equipment that is not visually damaged will be connected and checked to see if it works. Based on the results of this, we will form a list of what we need to supply," said Liashko.
According to him, the cost of replacing the damaged windows, doors, ceiling, and fencing elements of the new building's facade is currently being assessed so that repair work can begin. In addition, work will be carried out to restore the ventilation, power supply, and oxygen supply networks to the intensive care units.
"We are planning to launch this facility block by block. We have set ourselves an optimistic goal of doing this in two months, three months at the most. One new building, as we were tentatively told after the first day of work, costs about UAH 300-400 million to restore," the Minister said.
He reminded that the government has already allocated UAH 100 million for the restoration of Okhmatdyt, and more than UAH 200 million has been raised on the UNITED24 platform. In addition, the funds are being transferred to the hospital's charity account.
The Health Minister clarified that the toxicology building with the department of chronic and acute intoxication, which was destroyed as a result of Russian shelling, cannot be restored.
The issue of the old surgical building, which was damaged by shelling, will be resolved separately.
"Regarding the old surgical building, we are waiting for the completion of the technical act. Potentially, there was a development strategy for Okhmatdyt that included its demolition and the construction of a new one on the site. We will look at the results of the survey, and then the hospital management will decide whether to restore it or rebuild it," said Liashko.
The Minister added that the issue of the possibility of sending some Okhmatdyt patients abroad for treatment is also being considered.
"I have spoken to all the health ministers of the EU and the US, as well as to the ambassadors of the EU countries. Both the Ministry of Health and the administration of Okhmatdyt will now communicate with the patients' parents through their doctors, to find out who expresses a desire to be treated [abroad]. After that, we will form a list and start working more precisely on nosologies: oncology, onco-haematology, and orphan diseases. So that we clearly understand in which country, which hospital is ready to take a child for treatment, we will discuss all social issues, travel to treatment, etc.", the Health Minister said.
As reported, on 9 July, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated UAH 100 million from the state budget reserve fund for the priority reconstruction of Okhmatdyt.
On Monday, 8 July, Russia launched massive strikes on Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and other Ukrainian cities. In the capital, one of the missiles hit the building of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital. Two floors of the hospital's building, covering an area of approximately 400 square metres, were destroyed. Several other buildings were damaged.