The Director of Okhmatdyt on the War, Reconstruction Following the Russian Attack, and Restoring Trust in the Hospital

Alexander Urin, Director General of the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital, stated that he views his role not as a matter of status or personal comfort, but as a daily responsibility toward patients, medical staff, and society during a full-scale war.

He spoke about this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".

According to him, managing the country’s largest children’s hospital today means constantly responding to security challenges, organizing the work of a large team, and simultaneously ensuring the institution’s development.

The head of the medical facility emphasized that the hospital is not run by a single person, but by a team of specialists who have been working there for some time and have been joined by new specialists in recent years. It is this collaborative effort, he said, that allows the hospital to remain operational even in wartime.

“All of us together—all the medical professionals there—are protecting this hospital and striving to ensure it continues to operate and provide the same high-quality and, most importantly, safe medical care for all our patients,” he said.

The head of Okhmatdyt also spoke about his personal connection to the institution. He noted that he was born in this very hospital, and his family has been involved in medicine for many years. Therefore, for him, the issues of Okhmatdyt’s work and future are not only professional but also personal.

According to the director, he fully understood the scope of his responsibility even before his official appointment, as he had previously served as acting director and department head for some time. That is why, he says, he did not feel “overwhelming joy” at the position, but instead was acutely aware of the complexity of the tasks ahead.

“I’m not there so that all the doctors work to make me feel happy, happy, and comfortable in the hospital. My task and the task of the administrative staff is to ensure that the people fighting for the health of our children have comfortable and safe working conditions,” he explained.

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After the Russian strike

Separately, the head of Okhmatdyt commented on the hospital’s reconstruction process following the Russian strike. He noted that a special council under the Ministry of Health has been established to oversee the work, and all procurement is conducted through the Prozorro system. According to him, the public has open access to view contracts, prices, and the progress of the reconstruction.

At the same time, the director acknowledged that the pace of work does not meet the public’s demand for immediate results. He attributed this to wartime conditions, the complexity of government procedures, disrupted logistics, power outages, and a shortage of certain construction materials.

“When it comes to time, quality, and money—you usually have to choose two out of three. Right now, time is what’s suffering the most,” he added.

At the same time, the hospital director assured that the administration is trying to minimize inconveniences specifically for patients. According to him, staff are currently experiencing the cramped and less comfortable conditions more acutely, while patients are provided with adequate comfort, and efforts are made not to overcrowd the children’s wards.

He also commented on the situation involving the previous director, Volodymyr Zhovnir, who was removed following the scandal surrounding the reconstruction of “Okhmatdyt.” Oleksandr Urin noted that he was not involved in those proceedings and does not believe it is right to criticize his predecessors, acknowledging that much had also been done for the hospital in previous years.

“I would never allow myself to say that my predecessors did everything wrong, while I do everything right. What matters more to me is what I can do for this hospital and what I can report on,” the doctor said.

In his opinion, the scandal surrounding possible abuses following the shelling of “Okhmatdyt” has indeed damaged the institution’s reputation, which had been built up over decades. However, Oleksandr Urin is convinced that trust can be restored, first and foremost through openness, transparent decisions, results, and honest dialogue with the public.

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