Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 28, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
Ukrainian doctors continue life-saving heart surgeries at a relocated center after a missile attack, showcasing resilience amid war.
By Sergiy Karazy and Yurii Kovalenko
KYIV (Reuters) - Six months ago, doctors were performing an operation at Ukraine's Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery when a missile struck the adjacent building inside the Kyiv compound of Ukraine's biggest children's hospital.
"I remember the ceiling falling down on me," recalled Vadym Tkachuk, head of the center's intensive care unit. "But then the first thoughts are always about patients."
Today, he and his team of specialists are performing complicated operations on some of the country's tiniest and most vulnerable patients at a temporary location while the damaged hospital undergoes repairs.
For babies like Veronika, born nearly four months prematurely, Ukraine's ability to reopen the children's heart surgery center may have meant the difference between life and death.
"If it weren't for centers and doctors like these, I think many children would have died," the baby's mother Anhelina Shevchuk, 21, told Reuters after Veronika underwent a lifesaving operation at the center's temporary location.
The new location has only half the space and is missing some equipment specially designed for pediatric treatment, "but we keep working in those more difficult conditions without turning away any patients," said Illia Yemets, the center's general director.
When air raid sirens go off and others across the capital move to shelter, staff at the hospital often stay at their posts to look after their seriously ill pediatric patients.
More than 1,900 medical facilities at 715 hospitals and clinics have been damaged during the war, Ukraine's health ministry said last month.
The authorities have installed 12,000 generators at medical institutions to protect them from losing power during Russian attacks that have relentlessly targeted Ukraine's energy grid.
Despite the conditions, Shevchuk said she was confident in the doctors treating baby Veronika.
"She's getting better now," she said with a faint smile. "She's gaining weight."
(Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Peter Graff)
The center was relocated after a missile struck the adjacent building, prompting the need for a temporary location.
Doctors are working in a temporary location with half the space and missing some equipment, but they continue to treat all patients without turning anyone away.
The reopening of the center is crucial for vulnerable patients, as it may mean the difference between life and death for many children needing heart surgery.
According to Ukraine's health ministry, more than 1,900 medical facilities at 715 hospitals and clinics have been damaged during the war.
Authorities have installed 12,000 generators at medical institutions to ensure they do not lose power during Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's energy grid.
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