«Slit the skin with scissors»: MOH and Verkhovna Rada respond to scandal at Boyarka children's hospital

One-year-old Katryusia toppled hot water onto herself, but instead of professional care and pain relief, her parents—a musician and veteran Sviatoslav Boiko and actress-eloper Elizabeth Boiko—faced a lack of hot water, medicines, a “charity fund” list, and injuries to their child during dressing. The family’s story sparked widespread outrage and prompted responses from the Ministry of Health and the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada, reports Glavkom.

For every family, a child’s domestic accident is a serious stress. When one-year-old Katryusia accidentally tipped a kettle of hot water onto herself, her parents immediately called an ambulance. The child with burns was transported by emergency medical services to the surgery department of the Kyiv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital in Boyarka. But the family’s real trials were just beginning.

Worn walls, lack of water, and a charity list in the regional hospital

The mother of the child, actress and director of the Kyiv Academic Puppet Theatre, Elizabeth Boiko, publicly shared the rescue story and conditions. According to her, the family initially accepted the absence of hot water and special supplies for burn patients, hoping for professional care. The parents held the infant on the bed for more than five hours, reading to her.

However, the family later faced a strange charity system. As reported by Sviatoslav Boiko, the dressing nurse brought a printed list of so-called “necessary supplies,” including laundry powder, sponges, cleaning agents, alcohol, chlorhexidine, and gloves. An alternative to the list was a fixed sum— 200 hryvnias. When the father asked whether this contribution was mandatory and, after being told it was voluntary, refused to pay, staff treatment drastically changed to total neglect.

Post from Sviatoslav Boiko about conditions at Kyiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital

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Dressing without anesthesia and new injuries

The greatest horror occurred the next morning. The dressings applied the day before began to slip, uncovering burn wounds. When the parents asked the nurses to adjust the bandages, they were met with refusals, claiming that only the treating doctor in the operating room could examine the child.

The wait stretched to over four hours. Only after a sharp talk between the father and the medical staff in the on-duty room did the attending surgeon finally examine the child.

During the dressing procedure itself, performed with supplies bought by the parents, the child did not receive any pain relief or sedation. Moreover, during removal of the dressings, the nurse cut the skin on the child’s hand with medical scissors.

“There was no talk of pain relief. The child screams; the child is held by three people; the nurse cuts the dressings and additionally cuts Katryusia’s skin with medical scissors. I forgot about my two higher degrees—the nurse and the entire surgery department heard clearly everything I was thinking about them at that moment,” Elizabeth Boiko shared.

Elizabeth Boiko with her daughter at the hospital

photo: Elizabeth Boiko/Facebook

Escape from Boyarka and public backlash

Lacking the strength to watch the abuse of the child, the parents turned to the hospital’s medical director, who helped expedite discharge. Katryusia was immediately moved to one of Kyiv’s municipal hospitals, where the child finally received proper medical care, appropriate conditions, and professional supervision.

Public posts by parents on social networks sparked a massive reaction. In the comments, hundreds of Ukrainians began sharing their own painful experiences at the same Boyarka hospital.

Parents note that complaints about cockroaches, lack of catheters, “charity” contributions, and staff indifference have persisted for years. Some commenters noted a so-called “show part” for foreign delegations and high-ranking officials, while in ordinary wards conditions remained critical.

Online users say a similar situation at the hospital has lasted for decades

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MOH and Verkhovna Rada response

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine responded to the public scandal. MOH representatives, together with the Health Department of Kyiv Oblast State Administration, announced an urgent monitoring visit to Kyiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital.

The commission will check the hospital’s provision of medicines and dressings, adherence to analgesia protocols, conditions for keeping children, and determine the legality of demanding “charity” contributions.

Response of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

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The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health, Mykhailo Radutskyi, joined the investigation, contacting Sviatoslav Boiko and inviting him to testify at the committee’s meeting.

Sviatoslav Boiko emphasized that he is ready to testify under oath at any level, because the family’s goal now is not only to heal their daughter but to push for systemic change in the facility: “My post opened a real wound in society—tens of comments describe negative experiences specifically with this hospital. We are not alone; we need to break this barrier so that children are treated there, not tortured.”

Sviatoslav Boiko said that now, in addition to his daughter’s recovery, he will strive to “clean the Augean stables in Boyarka.”

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Currently little Katryusia is safe and under the supervision of Kyiv specialists and continues treatment.

By the way, in Kyiv a ENT doctor allegedly demanded a personal payment of 300 hryvnias for an initial examination, and even more if care was provided. The doctor refused to examine the child in urgent need. The child’s condition worsened, and since it was late (after 20:00), they called an ambulance. The boy was referred to Kyiv City Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1, located at Bogatyrska Street, 30.