«Children are our everything, they should not be in such conditions»: Mykolaiv mayor on the situation in the regional hospital
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- Alina Kvitko
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18:31, 04 March, 2025
An infant who was later found to have swelling on his arms after being strapped into a wheelchair. Photo: Ombudsman's OfficeThe mayor of Mykolaiv has responded to the situation at the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care (Regional Children's Home), where, according to human rights activists, children are kept in inadequate conditions.
As you know, on 3 March, human rights activist Inna Miroshnychenko showed photos of children tied to chairs and unable to walk, spending all their time watching TV. In addition, there are no rehabilitation services in the institution, and the conditions are terrible: children are tied to chairs, they do not receive medical care, and the shelter is not working.
Images from the regional orphanage. Photo: Inna Miroshnychenko
Images from the regional baby home. Photo: Inna MiroshnychenkoIn his video message, Oleksandr Sienkevych said that many citizens had expressed outrage at the situation and wrote numerous comments, some of which contained personal accusations against him. However, he noted that this institution is subordinated to the regional council, so the Mykolaiv City Council cannot influence its activities or change the conditions for children.
«Dear friends, I see a lot of comments about the terrible situation that happened in the regional children's home. And some people send curses to me. I understand your emotions and despair. However, I ask you not to forget about critical thinking behind these emotions. This institution is subordinated to the regional council, although it is located in Mykolaiv. In this case, the city council has no influence on the work of the institution, is not responsible for personnel decisions and does not have the authority to manage the regional baby home. Please distinguish between city and regional authorities,» the mayor said.
The mayor added that although the city is not directly involved in the institution, the issue is already under the control of the regional council. He also reminded that the city has a Children's Service that actively deals with adoption and guardianship issues and supports family-type orphanages.
«I can already see that the Ombudsman has paid attention to this case and I am sure that the regional council is already dealing with the issue and will correct all the mistakes. I would also like to note that the city has a Service for Children's Affairs under its jurisdiction. Our specialists deal with adoption and guardianship issues and actively communicate with family-type orphanages. In total, our Service for Children has more than 50 functions and powers. Thank you for your concern! Children are our everything, they should not be in such conditions,» he concluded.
After the information was published by the human rights activist, the editorial board of NikVesti sought comment from representatives of local authorities, including
- Yurii Hranaturov, deputy head of the Mykolaiv Regional Medical Administration;
- Anton Tabunschyk, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Council;
- Iryna Tkachenko, acting head of the regional healthcare department;
- Oleksandr Plitkin, chief physician of the Mykolaiv Oblast Children's Hospital, which includes the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care (Children's Home).
- the press service of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.
However, as of 18:00 on 4 March, no response has been received.
Images from the regional baby home. Photo: Inna Miroshnychenko
Images from the regional baby home. Photo: Inna Miroshnychenko
Scandal in the reorganised baby home in Mykolaiv
As you know, on 3 March, it became known that the monitoring group of the Ombudsman's Office, together with NGOs, inspected children's educational institutions in the Mykolaiv region and found gross violations of children's rights. The children were fixed with belts to chairs and strollers, and a six-month-old baby suffered swelling from «tying». In other institutions, children were given expired medicines, did not receive medical care and had limited access to basic services.
On the same day, Inna Miroshnychenko, an orphan rights activist and lawyer, showed the conditions in which children live in the reorganised Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care in Mykolaiv (Regional Children's Home). She actually showed the children tied to armchairs, who are not allowed to go for walks and are forced to spend time watching TV.
The human rights activist said that according to the conditions, 89 staff members are supposed to take care of the children. However, as it turned out from the data of the Ombudsman's Office monitoring group, only two employees were looking after the children. She called the conditions in which the children were kept inhumane.
At the same time, none of the officials and deputies of the Mykolaiv region commented on the situation. Although the editorial board of NikVesti tried to get a comment on the situation from representatives of the local authorities.
However, the scandal was commented on by the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych. The mayor added that although the city is not directly involved in the institution, the issue is already under the control of the regional council. He also reminded that the city has a Children's Service that actively deals with adoption and guardianship issues and supports family-type orphanages.
It should be noted that in April 2024, the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care was merged with the Mykolaiv Regional Children's Hospital. At the time, this decision was explained by the need to «protect» the institution from lack of funding.
We would also like to remind you that this is not the first scandalous case involving the Mykolaiv Oblast Children's Hospital. Back in July 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the hospital was in poor condition during his visit to Mykolaiv.
In one of the wards, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the room was not adapted for a comfortable stay. In particular, the ward lacked curtain rods, curtains, and air conditioning.