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Children’s Home for Disabled Children

That what is going on in the children's home for handicapped children in Kalinovka, Zaporozhye region, is absolutely unacceptable now in the civilized society. Children are dying in this out-of-the-way hole having no medical care. Isn't it unbelievable? Isn't is acceptable in the XXI century?

The situation here (it takes 150 km from Zaporozhye) is still painful, despite some improvements. Let us go into details.

156 seriously ill children (most of them are orphans) are served by one doctor, who comes from the nearest city of Chernigovka once a week and spends here 2 hours. It's obvious that it's impossible to provide even basic medical care.   

The children are seriously ill; inborn malformation, infantile cerebral paralysis, hydrocephaly, mental deficiency, absence of extremity, spinal hernia, multiple fractures, congenital blindness, AIDS, Down's syndrome etc. are among the diagnoses. 50 inmates are bedridden and spend all their time in the special wards; they are almost motionless.

This boy is definitely ill with cachexia (extreme exhaustion). There is no special day regimen or dietary pattern for him; he is feeded with cooked semolina and that's all.

Most of the children have not been examined since the time they arrived to the children's home. Blood tests are carried out not more that once a year, and the tests are to be made not for all children. There is no laboratory assistant here, and the temporary one can make only 20 tests at one time.

For instance, there is a child who presumably suffers from abdominal tumour of the half-football size and it still has not been examined and treated.

Nadya suffers from encephalocele. The girl can lie only on one side. The surgery even not planned as far as is known; but it's obvious that the qualified surgeon can help her.

About 10-12 children suffer from emaciation; some suffer even from cachexia which in many cases accompanies the final stage of oncological illnesses. The causes of these particular cases are inappropriate food allowance, regimen and, first of all, absence of professional treatment.

Bed-patients stay in beds for years (!!!), younger ones are walked only in summer. Many of the children lie looking at the ward's ceilings. Rehabilitation is absent; there is no masseur, rehabilitation specialist, physiologist.

Hygienic regulations is not maintained, the wards are not aired for months (!), quartz lamps are absent (!). It's not enough to have only two nappies for a child per day.

Death of a patient not causes any inquiries in Kalinovka. There used to be years where 10-15 children died a year. Only 1 child died last year, but during the first two months of this year two children have died already. We presume that the cause of the deaths were the low temperature in the wards because of the boiler-house malfunction. Both children suffered from hydrocephalus.

Cemetery for the children in Kalinovka. The bed-patients' building on the background.

The dead are buried in trenches on the cemetery in about a kilometer from the hospital. The grave is marked just by a wooden tablet that becomes absolutely unreadable after a year. Most of old graves (about 400 ones since 1950s) have turned into hardly visible tiny hills. Such practice is obviously unacceptable in the civilized country.

Being on the verge of death and life.

Giong out of the children's home I heard the child's scream. Glancing at what‘s happening, I saw the nurses replacing a nappy. The boy's appearance was absolutely awful. Andrew, who is 5 years old, weights 6,900 grams. Being here he lost 1.5 kilograms. Andrew was taken to Kalinovka from "The Sun" children's home,where the medical treatment was much better. He definitely suffered from cachexia and seemed extremely emaciated; so every movement caused him great pain. A nanny explained that he hadn't been feeded for a week and a half because of the vomiting. They were feeding him fluid diet (cooked semolina). They just didn't know what to do. And they even didn't try to call a qualified doctor or emergency to prescribe infusion therapy (glucose) and proper food.

Andrew who suffers from the cachexia. Two days ago he balanced on the verge of death and life. Taken to a city's hospital and got proper diet and infusion therapy he gained 350 grams on just two days.

Lucky a doctor came that day. The doctor examined Andrew, diagnosted cachexia and took the boy to the hospital. Cachexia was diagnosted for 2 or 3 children but only Andrew was hospitalized.

Andrew is getting infusion therapy for two days in Chernigovka, and got special lactate food NAN and Nestogen, thanks for the sponsors. The food is still needed for some time.

Despite it's too early to be content, we see the definite progress; he gained 350 grams, he is getting to eat more and there is no vomiting.

The fund "Happy Baby" in Zaporozhye is doing everything to help the children in Kalinoka. The organization is going to fund pediatrician and neuropathologist to work here on a full time basis. We age going to appeal to the region's governor and the Chief Paediatrician in order to get the assistance. If no appropriate action is carried out, we will be trying to attract attention of the public to this problem. As a last resort, we will gather money to pay the doctors ourselves. We need approximately 1.5 ... 2 thousand UAH every month. Now we are also looking for the sponsors to be able to provide extra pay to the operating doctor.

We ask everybody who is indifferent to the destiny of the children.

Permanently needed money to buy:

• Baby food Nestle or something like this; for instance, quite expensive peptide-based Peptamen;
• Pampers, sizes 3-7;
• Baby carriages and special wheeled bed to bedridden children;
• Quartz lamp, cheap ones (150 UAH) and more expensive, equipped with filters (1500-2000 UAH)
• Electronic scales, electronic thermometers, tonometrs designed for the children;
• High-quality vitamins;
• Furniture for the rehabilitologist's consulting room, two sets: bookcase, sofa (leather substitute or leather), armchair, soft carpet, carpets for nursery;
• Special toys and sport equipment: wooden building sets, firm elastic balls, dry pool;
• Stationery: sketch-books, paper, soft-tip pens, crayons, plasticine;
• mp3 and USB compatible Music center for music therapy;
• Modern windows and an air conditioner to the children's room where children spend all their time; the room is absolutely closed and not ventilated.
• Outdoors sports ground;
• Any equipment and any contribution to ennoblement of the cemetery, e.g. metal crosses and name boards;

Please send you contributions to the account of the "Happy Child" fund (http://www.deti.zp.ua/show_article.php?a_id=1356), or buy the things on your own and then send them to the children's home.

Please inform us in advance,  +380-66-5133435 - Albert.

It's possible to visit the children's home in Kalinovka to help the children. A couple of days spent here nursing, feeding and playing with them will be accepted thankfully.

Any questions on detizp@mail.ru, http://www.deti.zp.ua/  +380-66-5133435, Albert.

Source - Кияни Обоз