Medical partnership in action: Regional Children’s Hospital in Kyiv Oblast collaborates with Leading Children’s Hospital in Copenhagen

Under the patronage of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen held in September, a unique project, the International Medical Partnership, was launched. 25 hospitals from different parts of Ukraine signed memorandums of cooperation with the world’s leading clinics to learn from best practices and share their own.

One of them is the Kyiv Regional Children’s Hospital. The hospital from Boyarka (in Kyiv oblast) has become a “sister” hospital to the largest children’s hospital in Denmark, Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital - Rigshospitalet for Children, Teens and Expecting Families.

“Such direct cooperation between the institutions will allow us to share experiences and best practices, improve the skills of doctors and save more lives,” said First Lady Olena Zelenska during her visit to the Kyiv Regional Children’s Hospital.

The First Lady visited the rehabilitation department of the medical institution. It provides assistance to children under 18 with limitations in daily functioning and children with severe disabilities. According to her, the Ukrainian medical institution also has something to share with its “sister”.

“Even during times of war, it actively develops as a whole cluster of medical services. In particular, it has established a complex of departments for families with children with disabilities, ranging from rehabilitation where a multidisciplinary team of doctors (occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, speech therapists, early intervention, and hospital rehabilitation specialists) work, to palliative care,” the First Lady explained.

Medical institutions plan to collaborate in the fields of oncology and oncohematology, surgery (including reconstructive surgery), rare diseases, rehabilitation, and more. The hospitals also intend to exchange expertise in healthcare facility management.

Special attention will be paid to pediatric rehabilitation. Pediatric rehabilitation is a field of rehabilitation that focuses specifically on the needs of children and infants and is aimed at optimizing their functioning. Pediatric rehabilitation combines the concepts of habilitation (acquisition of new skills and abilities) and rehabilitation (restoration of previously acquired skills) in close interaction with the child’s development.

Currently, the hospital has created a set of departments for families with children with disabilities, ranging from rehabilitation, where a multidisciplinary team of doctors (occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, speech therapists) works, to palliative care.

Every year, the Kyiv Regional Children’s Hospital receives about 400 thousand children from Kyiv and other oblast of Ukraine, including temporarily displaced persons. The hospital has 335 beds (11 departments, 24 bed profiles).

It should be recalled that earlier, the Ministry of Health reported that 25 Ukrainian hospitals had received counterparts abroad thanks to the international medical partnership initiative.