Dutch pediatric oncology center to treat Ukrainian children from Okhmatdyt hit by Russian missile
The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in the
Dutch city of Utrecht will admit and treat four patients with cancer diagnoses
from Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, which was targeted by a Russian
missile attack on July 8, the country’s NOS news outlet reported on July 23.
The center, which is the largest pediatric cancer center in Europe, stressed the importance of continuity in the treatment of children with cancer.
“If we don't help, who will? We're happy to do it, and when you see these kids, you just don't have a choice,” said Rob Peters, a member of the Board of Directors.
Collaboration between the hospitals was initially hampered by limited access to patient records after the missile strike.
To date, the center has treated about 120 Ukrainian children since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
The Russian forces struck the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on July 8. Two adults died, one of them was a young doctor from Lviv. 24 departments were damaged.
About 100 small hospital patients were evacuated to other institutions in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.
Evidenced by missile’s debris found on site, Russia targeted Okhmatdyt with an Kh-101 missile, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) clarified. Hospital “could in no way have been destroyed by the NASAMS air defense system,” as the Russian authorities claimed, as their missiles are approximately 20 times less powerful, the SBU added.
Ukraine will rebuild Okhmatdyt, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The government has already allocated UAH 100 million (about $2.4 million) for repair works. The new locations for doctors and patients have already been found, he added.
These are Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospitals No. 1 and No. 2.
Okhmatdyt hospital cannot be restored, so it will be demolished, the Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko said on July 12.
7-year-old Yehor Zavadetskyi, who was in a coma in the dialysis unit, died in the hospital on July 16, where a Russian missile hit on July 8.
The hospital was partially operational, Okhmatdyt press service reported on July 16.
“Despite last week’s attack, we are happy to report that some branches of Okhmatdyt have already resumed their work. The emergency department reopened today, which now also serves surgical patients,” the message said.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
