Residents of Mykolaiv have complained about ragweed growing near the allergy and pulmonology department of the children’s hospital

Ragweed near the Allergy and Pulmonology Department of the Regional Children’s Hospital in Mykolaiv. Screenshot from a video

In Mykolaiv, parents of children being treated in the allergy and pulmonology department of the regional children’s hospital have complained that their children’s condition allegedly worsens after they arrive at the hospital. They subsequently noticed patches of ragweed growing beneath the department’s windows.

Svitlana Fedorova, the former director of the Mykolaiv Regional Centre for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases, spoke about this on Facebook.

She says she began receiving messages from parents of children undergoing treatment in the allergy and pulmonology department. They reportedly stated that, after arriving at the hospital, their children’s condition had not improved; on the contrary, they were finding it harder to breathe.

«Concerned mums whose children are hospitalised here started messaging me on social media, saying: «Svitlana Fedorivna, we watched your video about allergies and ragweed, which is in season at the moment, and we just can’t understand: we’ve come to hospital, but the children are getting worse despite the treatment. The children are struggling to breathe. And we, the mums, the adults, when we come to visit, are also struggling to breathe in the ward. We go out, drive away from the hospital — and it gets easier. And that’s when I started to investigate why. I thought maybe they were treating them with some expired (medication, — ed.), or perhaps they were administering some expired humanitarian aid to them there — well, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point,» said Svitlana Fedorova.

At first, she said, she tried to understand what might be causing the children’s condition to worsen. But one of the women staying in the hospital drew attention to the ragweed growing beneath the ward windows.

«One girl said to me: «You know, we looked out of the window, and there’s ragweed as tall as a person, right under the windows of the paediatric allergy and pulmonology ward. Ragweed as tall as me! Listen, aren’t you ashamed at all? Have you ever seen anything like this anywhere, in any town — ragweed as tall as a person growing in a regional hospital, right next to the paediatric allergy and pulmonology ward?» said Svitlana Fedorova.

In the video she released, she showed the area near the hospital and the thickets of the plant behind the fence. According to her, she filmed the video from the third floor of the building where the pulmonology department is located.

«I’m simply lost for words. I’m on the grounds of the regional children’s hospital. This is a neglected area; I’m filming right from the ward. I’ll zoom in now. Ragweed as tall as a person. I’m filming from the third floor of the building where the pulmonology department is, where little children are being treated,» added Svitlana Fedorova.

It should be noted that recently, residents of Mykolaiv have complained about the condition of the area near Children’s Hospital №2 on Riumina Street and are asking for a children’s playground to be built there. The city health department stated that the area is cleaned regularly and that plans are already in place to install a playground.

It is worth recalling that Alla Riazhskykh, a member of the Mykolaiv Regional Council from the «European Solidarity» party, proposed creating climate-friendly lawns in Mykolaiv — areas planted with wild grasses and flowers that require less watering and maintenance, whilst also helping to preserve biodiversity. She also noted that, with the right mix of plants, such lawns can suppress weeds, particularly ragweed.