Today, an important event took place on the territory of the largest children's hospital in Ukraine, Ohmadyt, with the signing of a memorandum on the restoration of the hospital's department after the July 8 rocket attack.
FC Dynamo (Kyiv) and the Surkis Brothers Foundation will fully rebuild and restore the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy for Children at the Kyiv hospital Ohmadyt, which was damaged during the recent Russian attack. All expenses will be covered by the organization.
"Dynamo Kyiv was represented at the event by the club's Vice President Dmytro Brief and Commercial Director Maksym Radutskyi. The memorandum was signed by CEO Volodymyr Zhovnir on behalf of the Ohmadyt hospital. Dynamo presented him with a club T-shirt with the inscription "Ohmadyt" and the number 130, as the hospital turns 130 this year, and in return received a touching children's drawing that one of the girls drew the day after the rocket attack, while in a shelter during the alarm. "This is much more important and symbolic than all the thanks and certificates," said Dmytro Brif.
The signing of the memorandum between FC Dynamo Kyiv, Surkis Brothers Foundation and Ohmadyt Hospital envisages, first of all, the immediate restoration of the Center after the damage, as well as the presentation of specific plans for the reconstruction and support of the hospital by FC Dynamo and Surkis Brothers Foundation.
It should be noted that the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy is a new department that was opened just three months ago. Orphan diseases are rare "orphan diseases" that occur once in many millions of cases. One example is SMA - spinal muscular atrophy, when impulses between the brain and muscles are disrupted in a child. There are about 300 cases of this disease in Ukraine.
The Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy is currently considering the possibility of restoring the premises of the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy in the building where it was previously located or re-equipping the existing premises in another building.
It is symbolic that the memorandum was signed in the office of the hospital's CEO Volodymyr Zhovnir, which was half-destroyed by the explosion. Dynamo leaders, media representatives and guests were also able to go out on the balcony and see the place where the enemy missile hit and the destruction of the adjacent buildings and premises of the hospital.
"We continue to do our job. Even before the full-scale war, and after it started, FC Dynamo Kyiv supported Ukrainian hospitals, defense forces, and people affected by the armed aggression," said Dmytro Brif, the club's CEO. "Remembering the day of July 8, the first thing that came to mind was a feeling of incomprehension and despair: how can such acts of aggression be committed? A rocket attack on a pediatric medical institution is beyond the imagination of any sane person. Many children were in critical condition, undergoing surgeries... It was very mean. There is no explanation for this.
So as soon as we learned about what had happened, we immediately contacted the director of Ohmadyt and discussed the most effective ways of cooperation that would best contribute to the restoration of the hospital. It was decided that FC Dynamo (Kyiv) and the Surkis Brothers Foundation would take over the restoration of the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy. It is an honor for us to be involved in the restoration of this hospital department. Especially since we already have experience in this area - we have completely restored the outpatient clinic in Gurivshchyna, the X-ray department in Chernihiv hospital, helped with equipment in Kharkiv hospital, etc.
In addition, on the same day, we organized transportation and provided food, water and everything else needed for patients, parents and doctors of this medical facility. Our transport was also involved in the following days.
We also discussed with the hospital director other ways of cooperation, those that are already in place and those that we plan for the future. We are convinced that by working together we will be able to provide children with many opportunities for their treatment and rehabilitation, as well as further deepen our cooperation on recovery projects.
Currently, the hospital has a commission that assesses the destruction, damage and losses, documents them and draws up the necessary acts. We also plan to engage a design organization to determine the technical feasibility of using the premises in the future. Based on the results of this commission's work, it will be determined whether the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy will be restored in this building or in another one. We want our work to produce results. If it is more efficient to move the center to the polyclinic building, we will do so."
Volodymyr Zhovnir, the hospital's CEO, commented on the event.
"Ohmadyt has a dream to recover and become even better, and this is what pushes us to sign this memorandum. It will allow us not only to restore the department, but also to expand cooperation between the hospital and the famous club. "Dynamo will be able to get involved in the life of Ohmadyt and implement the project on the hospital's territory at its own expense. The infrastructure in the department in question is almost completely destroyed. The building itself is currently under examination, and its future fate is not yet fully understood. Perhaps it will be demolished altogether, as its condition is very close to emergency. Thanks to Dynamo, orphan patients will be able to receive highly professional and specialized care. And this is just one aspect of our cooperation. We also talked about rehabilitation measures, psychological support and new opportunities.
Unfortunately, Okhmadyt is not working at full capacity right now. There is a lot of damage, including in the new building. Now all communications and critical infrastructure are working - there is oxygen, compressed air, ventilation, etc. So some departments have resumed work. In particular, today is the first day when the emergency department started working. I believe that thanks to friends and partners like Dynamo, the recovery process will be faster."
FC Dynamo (Kyiv) and the Foundation could not stay away from another crime against our people by Russian terrorists, as they have been systematically helping this hospital and its young patients for a long time.
"The friendship between Dynamo and Okhmadyt has existed for many years," admitted Volodymyr Zhovnir, "We work very closely together in the area of rehabilitation of children and holding various events. We remember how the club helped to treat a girl in Spain who was wounded in the head and could not walk or move her arm, and now she plays the guitar. In addition, even before the war started, the club's footballers, Ukrainian football stars, regularly visited our oncohematology patients to raise their spirits, motivate them and speed up their recovery. They supported and inspired them. Famous athletes feel socially responsible, help children recover and make sure they have comfortable conditions, because it is very important. I believe that supporting social projects is the right position of famous athletes."
Natalia Samoilenko, head of the Center for Orphan Diseases and Gene Therapy, told an incredible story of rescue during a missile strike:
"A week after the shelling, patients who were in the hospital when it happened came to us. They wanted to thank us for saving their lives, because when the alarm sounded and the explosions started, we took them to the shelter. It was a miracle that I survived, because I was also walking towards the shelter. I was lucky that at the moment of impact I was moving between two walls and did not pass by a door or window. Only my car was damaged, and it is still parked near the hospital building," Natalia pointed to one of the damaged cars. "When people ask me why I am not sad about the loss of my car, I am surprised, because on the contrary, I feel happy that I am alive.
In addition to rebuilding the hospital department, the Surkis Brothers Foundation and FC Dynamo continue to implement other humanitarian projects and provide daily assistance to Ohmadyt with food, water and other necessities. The aid trucks continuously run between the club and the hospital, delivering important goods.
In recent months, our club and the Foundation have delivered several large shipments of humanitarian aid and food for children to the hospital.
This is already the fourth medical infrastructure facility that FC Dynamo Kyiv and the Surkis Brothers Foundation are involved in the restoration of.
As a reminder:
- The "Outpatient Clinic of Unbreakability", rebuilt by the Surkis Brothers Foundation, is actively operating in Gurivshchyna
- Joint project of Dynamo and UNITED24: rebuilding a hospital in Chernihiv
- Sending medical equipment to a Kharkiv hospital
- In addition, FC Dynamo (Kyiv) and the Surkis Brothers Foundation have already begun preparations to restore one of the departments of the Cancer Institute, which treats many children who were transferred there after the rocket attack on Ohmadyt.