Maternity Hospital №3 in Mykolaiv has become the regional perinatal centre

A regional perinatal centre has been established on the premises of the former Maternity Hospital №3 in Mykolaiv. It will operate as a branch of the Mykolaiv Regional Clinical Hospital.

The relevant decisions were adopted by councillors during a session of the Mykolaiv Regional Council on 10 September, according to NikVesti.

Deputies approved the transfer deed for Maternity Hospital №3 and the transfer of all its assets, including property, to the Mykolaiv Regional Clinical Hospital.

The regional council explained that this is necessary to consolidate contracts under the Medical Guarantees Programme and to facilitate future contracting with the National Health Service of Ukraine.

The councillors also amended the charter of the regional clinical hospital and approved the regulations governing its new branch — the «Perinatal Centre». The authorised capital of the regional hospital will be increased using the authorised capital of Maternity Hospital №3.

The city had already transferred Maternity Hospital №3 to the region’s ownership back in June. Initially, the city authorities had planned to establish their own modern perinatal centre on its premises, but these plans were abandoned due to the terms of funding for medical services.

During a staff meeting on 7 September, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych explained that, given the current number of births, the facility would not be able to receive sufficient funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) to operate as a separate municipal perinatal centre.

«We had planned to set up a municipal perinatal centre. Unfortunately, the current terms of our working relationship with the National Health Service do not allow us to do so. The number of births does not allow us to receive the necessary funding to run this facility. It can only become part of the regional clinical hospital,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

According to the mayor, the very creation of a regional perinatal centre was one of the reasons why the city transferred Maternity Hospital №3 to the region.

«Mykolaiv is perhaps the only regional centre that does not have a perinatal centre. That is precisely why the idea behind transferring this facility was to establish a regional perinatal centre based at Maternity Hospital №3. We had hoped to create a modern, first-class municipal perinatal centre, but, unfortunately, the war,» said the mayor.

Even before the building was transferred, the city had commissioned a project to convert the maternity hospital into a perinatal centre. According to Oleksandr Sienkevych, the design organisation has already completed the work; however, the city council is now unable to pay for it directly, as the facility no longer belongs to the city.

The city council therefore plans to transfer a grant to the regional authorities to settle the bill for the design work already carried out. A draft resolution to this effect is to be prepared for the city council’s September session.

«We had budgeted for the money, but as we have transferred this property, we can no longer pay them for the work carried out. We need to settle up with them; the work has been done. It’s a very good project. So we’re preparing to transfer the grant to the regional authorities at the next September session,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Regional council members also terminated the employment contract with Oleh Ishchenko, who had been in charge of Maternity Hospital №3. At the same time, he was appointed head of the newly established «Perinatal Centre= branch for the duration of martial law.

Once martial law has been lifted or revoked, a competitive selection process must be held within six months to fill the post of branch director.

Handover of Maternity Hospital №3 to the region

It should be recalled that in 2025, medical staff at Maternity Hospital №3 and the Mykolaiv Regional Emergency Medical Service went several months without receiving their salaries. The delay in paying the medical staff’s wages was attributed to the fact that the contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine was signed later than the planned date. The debts were settled in March 2025.

In January 2026, it emerged that Maternity Hospital №3 was not receiving sufficient funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine due to the critical demographic situation in the city. The facility required additional funding from the city budget.

Subsequently, councillors of the Mykolaiv City Council supported a decision to reorganise the city’s healthcare network, which involved the creation of a cluster hospital and the transfer of one of the maternity hospitals to the ownership of the region.

On 9 April, at a session of the Mykolaiv City Council, councillors approved the transfer of Maternity Hospital №3 to the ownership of the region. The Mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, stated that integrating the maternity hospital into the regional hospital was necessary to retain the staff.

On 16 April, councillors of the Mykolaiv Regional Council approved its transfer to regional ownership. On 28 May, the Mykolaiv Regional Council approved the deed of transfer of Maternity Hospital №3 to the region as an integral property complex. The councillors reduced the hospital’s authorised capital to 1,000 hryvnias.

In June, it was reported at the regional council’s environmental committee meetings that the maternity hospital had debts. A figure of 4 million hryvnias was initially cited.

On 18 June, the Mykolaiv Regional Council voted to merge Maternity Hospital №3 with the regional clinical hospital. Furthermore, the councillors increased its authorised capital to 5.5 million hryvnias.

The Mykolaiv Regional Council must now complete the reorganisation of Maternity Hospital №3. To this end, at their next session, councillors must transfer the hospital’s assets to the regional clinical hospital and make the necessary amendments to its articles of association. There are plans to establish a branch called the ‘Perinatal Centre’ on the premises of the maternity hospital.