Mykolaiv RMA plans to spend almost ₴615 million on reconstruction of regional children's hospital

The Mykolaiv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital «plans to spend 614.8 million hryvnias on the reconstruction of the hospital. The contracting authority is the Department of Urban Development, Architecture, Capital Construction and Support of Development Projects of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

This is evidenced by data from the ProZorro public procurement system.

It should be noted that the reconstruction of the facility was announced by Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, in early 2025. The reconstruction project is divided into 4 phases, which include the construction of surgical, diagnostic, infectious disease, administrative and outpatient buildings, a food unit, a hotel and a central sterilisation department.

According to Vitalii Kim, the project will cost approximately 1.55 billion hryvnias.

Screenshot from the final presentation of the Mykolaiv Regional Administrative Unit

The tender, which was published on 26 March, plans to modernise the K-3 surgical building as part of the fourth stage of construction, according to the documents.

Dismantling and excavation works are to be carried out in the building. The contractor will then carry out general construction works, install windows and doors, and carry out interior finishing. This includes insulation and finishing of the facade and roof.

In the future, they will install surgical equipment, carry out installation work and equip the basement.

The cost of the works also includes the installation of communications, drainage, air conditioning, ventilation, lightning protection, burglar alarms, and an automatic fire extinguishing system.

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Landscaping works will also be carried out and sidewalks, footpaths and carriageways will be arranged. Upon completion of the reconstruction works, the contractor will clear the area of construction waste. The works are to be completed by 31 December 2026.

Regional children's hospital in Mykolaiv

In July 2023, during his visit to Mykolaiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the regional children's hospital. At that time, he criticised the condition of the wards in the medical facility. While in one of the wards, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the room was not adapted for a comfortable stay. In particular, there were no curtain rods, curtains, or air conditioning in the ward. Following President Zelenskyy's criticism of the wards at the Mykolaiv Oblast Children's Hospital, the institution began renovating the surgical department and installed air conditioning in eight wards.

A few months later, the offices and residences of Oleksandr Plitkin, the chief medical officer of the Mykolaiv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, and his deputy, Iryna Tkachenko, were searched as part of a criminal investigation into the misappropriation, embezzlement or acquisition of property through abuse of office. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under another article: forgery of official documents that caused grave consequences.

Four days after the searches, the deputy head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration for medicine, Yurii Hranaturov, said that he was unaware of the situation. And Oleksandr Plitkin himself said that dirt was thrown on him, and the police «are telling something ephemeral».

At the same time, the permanent deputy commission of the Mykolaiv Regional Council on social policy and healthcare refused to consider and knew from the agenda the draft decision to appoint Oleksandr Plitkin as director of the «Mykolaiv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital».

Scandal in the reorganised Children's Home in Mykolaiv

In March 2025, lawyer Inna Miroshnychenko showed the conditions in which children live in the reorganised Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care in Mykolaiv (Regional Children's Home), which was merged with the Mykolaiv Regional Children's Hospital. She showed the children tied to chairs, not allowed to walk and forced to spend time watching TV.

The human rights activist said that according to the conditions, 89 employees were supposed to take care of the children. However, according to the data from the Ombudsman's Office monitoring team, only two employees were looking after the children. She called the conditions in which the children were kept inhumane.