Okhmatdyt Reconstruction Council elects management and discusses restoration of damaged modern hospital building
On August 20, the first meeting of the full Board of Okhmatdyt's reconstruction, which was approved the day before, took place. As reported, the Council includes eight representatives of philanthropists who have made the largest donations to the reconstruction, international technical assistance projects, diplomatic missions of foreign countries in Ukraine, international and intergovernmental organizations and foundations, as well as one representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Children's Hospital “Okhmatdyt”. The first eight members of the Council elected seven representatives of civil society, who also joined the Council, based on the results of the ranking vote. In total, the Council consists of 15 members.
During the meeting, the participants elected the management board of the Okhmatdyt Recovery Council:
- Inna Ivanenko, Executive Director of the CF “Patients of Ukraine”, was elected as the Head of the Recovery Council.
- Volodymyr Kudrytsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of National Energy Company Ukrenergo, was elected Deputy Chairman of the Board.
- Yevhen Honchar, Head of the Department for Policy Formation in the Field of Medical Guarantees and Medical Services Program of the Department of Medical Services of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, was elected as the Secretary of the Council.
“As a representative of civil society and the patient community, my motivation is to ensure fast and transparent processes to restore the hospital's basic functionality before the start of autumn and winter, as well as to create conditions for the rational and systematic use of available resources for the reconstruction and development of the institution, taking into account the needs of patients and within the logic of healthcare reform.”
The participants also heard and discussed a phased plan for the restoration of the modern building of the National Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt”, which was damaged as a result of the Russian terrorist attack on July 8, 2024, emphasizing the importance of a prompt competent detailed examination of the damage to the building, which should be a guarantee of a transparent tender for the restoration work.
As a reminder, about 900 m2 of windows and doors, more than 12,000 m2 of premises, and more than 4,000 m2 of curtain walls were damaged in the modern medical and diagnostic complex (commissioned during the full-scale war). Only three of its blocks can be operated, while the remaining four need to be repaired.
Almost all of Okhmatdyt's departments have now resumed work, except for the chronic hemodialysis unit. Its patients receive medical care at Kyiv City Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1. The bone marrow transplantation unit operates based on the Okhmatdyt and the Kyiv City Center for Nephrology and Dialysis. The rest of the departments were distributed among the buildings of the Okhmatdyt that were not damaged or partially damaged, including the premises of the damaged modern building. Therefore, it is a top priority to carry out a set of works that will ensure the conditions for its functioning in the winter. In addition to the urgent tasks, the Board members emphasized the importance of elaborating a hospital development strategy, the draft of which should be presented by the Okhmatdyt management, reviewed by the Board and taken into account in further recovery and reconstruction plans.
“It is very important that the Council is headed by a representative of civil society. Now we need to focus on ordering the services of inspecting the affected buildings as soon as possible and creating a defect report. This will allow us to create an estimate and transparently select a company that will carry out the necessary work to prepare the buildings for winter. I hope that we will receive the defect report in the coming weeks. We have also scheduled a meeting of the Board members with representatives of the Okhmatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation to settle all the details of the Foundation's payment for the hospital's restoration.”
As a reminder, donations for the reconstruction of Okhmatdyt raised about UAH 1.6 billion (of which more than UAH 400 million will be donated in the form of medical equipment):
- UAH 326 million was transferred directly to the account of the hospital of the National Children's Hospital “Okhmatdyt”;
- UAH 379 million was transferred to the account of the Okhmatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation;
- more than UAH 320 million was raised as part of a joint fundraising campaign by the UNITED24 platform and Monobank, which was transferred directly to the account of the Ministry of Health at the National Bank. These funds have not yet been used. Their expenditure will be managed by the Ministry of Health and the Funds Allocation Commission, which includes representatives of the state, public sector and international organizations;
- $11.2 million was allocated by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has allocated $11.2 million for the purchase of a complete list of damaged equipment for the modern building of the Okhmatdyt Hospital (to be delivered in the form of equipment);
- UAH 100 million was allocated by the Government of Ukraine from the state budget.
So far, not a single penny of these funds has been used. Taking into account the situation with the funds collected on the account of the Okhmatdyt - Healthy Childhood Charitable Foundation, the Recovery Board members emphasized the need to hold a meeting with the Foundation's management to agree on mechanisms for observing open and transparent procedures for using the funds raised under the supervision of the Recovery Board.