Dombrovska shared a photo of a relative tied to a bed at Hospital №1 — she was told that they were «diligently carrying out their professional duties»
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- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
Tetiana Dombrovska claimed that a relative of hers had been misdiagnosed at City Hospital №1. Photo from the councillor’s pageTetiana Dombrovska, a councillor on Mykolaiv City Council, has claimed that her relative was misdiagnosed at City Hospital №1. According to her, for three days, instead of treating pneumonia, the medical staff pumped the man’s stomach and treated him for a misdiagnosed case of alcohol poisoning. When the patient’s condition worsened, he was simply tied to the bed with a rag, and it was only after he was transferred to another hospital that he was diagnosed with pneumonia and septic shock.
Tetiana Dombrovska wrote about the situation on her Facebook page on the evening of 13 July. As she did not explain in her post exactly what had happened during his treatment, NikVesti contacted the councillor for a detailed comment.
In her post, Tetiana Dombrovska noted that she had tried to take a loved one away from the doctors at City Hospital №1 and transfer them to a private clinic in Odesa. According to her, she was advised to contact the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, to resolve the issue, but she did not do so. The councillor accompanied her post with a photograph showing the patient’s hand tied to the bed with a piece of cloth.
Screenshot of Tetiana Dombrovska’s Facebook post«When I tried to get her out of the hands of those incompetent doctors in Mykolaiv and transfer her to a private clinic in Odesa, many people told me: «Call Sienkevych. He’ll help get the person out of there.» I didn't call. I resolved the issue another way. Thank God, everything is fine now,» wrote Tetiana Dombrovska.
In a comment to NikVesti, Tetiana Dombrovska explained the circumstances she hadn’t revealed in her post. According to her, her relative was admitted to City Hospital №1 on Wednesday, 8 July. Following initial examinations, the doctors ruled out a heart attack and a stroke and suggested that the man’s serious condition was linked to alcohol poisoning.
«They said they’d put him on a drip and everything would be fine. When I asked for a diagnosis, they replied that he’d most likely drunk a lot of alcohol. I asked my family if he’d been drinking. But what alcohol? It was early in the morning. The doctors started pumping his stomach and gave me a list of things to buy; I passed everything on to the intensive care unit. On Friday, my sister rang me and said he was getting worse – he’d started hallucinating. I rang the doctor, and he said, «It’s just alcohol.» On Saturday, my sister screamed that Dad had stopped breathing; they’d already put him on a ventilator,» said Tetyana Dombrovska.
She also claims that during her dad’s three-day stay in intensive care, the doctors did not carry out any repeat tests. As his condition deteriorated, they began to restrain him to the bed.
«They simply tied him to the bed, not in the way they’re supposed to, but with some rags. Because of this, he developed bruises on his arms,» said Tetiana Dombrovska.
Tetiana Dombrovska also claims that during his stay in intensive care, her dad ate and drank almost nothing. According to her, he was only able to eat a few spoonfuls of food and drank practically no water, yet he was not fitted with a feeding tube.
«He was effectively without water or food for four days. He would eat about three spoonfuls of whatever was offered, but he hardly drank any water at all. It was only later that I learnt that in such cases a feeding tube should be fitted, as they did at the clinic in Odesa,» said Tetiana Dombrovska.
According to Tetiana Dombrovska, after the man’s condition deteriorated, the family called in Dr Svitlana Fedorova, who had previously headed the Mykolaiv Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital and now works in private practice. She examined the patient and suggested that he had pneumonia and septic shock.
«Svitlana Fedorova listened to him and said that it was most likely pneumonia and septic shock. In other words, we could have lost him,» said Tetiana Dombrovska.
According to her, the family began approaching private clinics in Odesa. One of them refused to admit him after reviewing his medical records, as these indicated alcohol intoxication and bruises on his arms. Tetiana Dombrovska claims that the bruises appeared because her husband had been tied to the bed with rags.
Tetiana Dombrovska also stated that, prior to his transfer, medical staff informed the family that the necessary antibiotic was not available in the intensive care unit and suggested that the family purchase it themselves.
After he was transferred to a private clinic in Odesa, he was examined and given a different diagnosis.
«It turned out that he was in an extremely serious condition — pneumonia and septic shock. It’s a terrible story. But I had the opportunity to arrange for my loved one to be transferred. Not every child is able to do that,» said Tetiana Dombrovska.
The administration of Mykolaiv City Council’s City Hospital №1 responded to the councillor’s post. The hospital reported that the patient had been in intensive care for three days and had received the necessary level of medical care in accordance with his condition and current protocols. Subsequently, following a decision by his relatives, he was transferred to another hospital.
Screenshot of the response from the administration of Hospital No. 1 on Facebook«The claim that the patient was ‘not given a chance to live’ does not correspond to the actual circumstances of the medical care provided,» the hospital’s statement reads.
At the same time, the hospital’s statement made no mention of the tests on the basis of which the patient was diagnosed with alcohol intoxication, following which, according to Tetiana Dombrovska, his stomach was pumped for three days. The hospital also failed to explain why no repeat tests were carried out on the man during this time, and why his hallucinations were attributed to alcohol-induced delirium tremens.
Meanwhile, Dr Svitlana Fedorova, a doctor called in by the family, diagnosed pneumonia and septic shock. This diagnosis was subsequently confirmed at a private clinic in Odesa.
Furthermore, the hospital made no mention of how the patient had been restrained to the bed, the bruises on his arms, the lack of the necessary antibiotics, or the circumstances surrounding his transfer to another medical facility.
«The claim that the patient was «not given a chance to live» does not correspond to the actual circumstances surrounding the provision of medical care,» the statement reads.
The medical facility also called for people to refrain from making unfounded accusations.
«We extend our sincere sympathies to every family facing the serious illness of a loved one. At the same time, we urge people to refrain from unfounded generalisations and public accusations, which may damage the reputation of the hospital and the people who conscientiously carry out their professional duties every day,» the hospital administration noted.
The hospital called for people to refrain from «unfounded generalisations and public accusations» that could damage the reputation of the hospital and its staff.
«We extend our sincere sympathies to every family facing the serious illness of a loved one. At the same time, we urge people to refrain from unfounded generalisations and public accusations that could damage the reputation of the hospital and the people who conscientiously carry out their professional duties every day,» the hospital administration stated.
The hospital issued this public response to a post by Tetiana Dombrovska, in which she did not disclose any details of the treatment. The councillor had already provided details to NikVesti regarding the diagnosis, her three days in intensive care, the lack of repeat tests, being confined to bed and her transfer to Odesa.
NikVesti will publish the position of City Hospital №1 as soon as the hospital has substantively commented on the circumstances of the treatment described by Tetiana Dombrovska.
Tetiana Dombrovska also stated that she plans to contact the law enforcement authorities regarding what she considers to be the inadequate quality of medical services and a possible breach of treatment protocols at City Hospital №1.
As a reminder, NikVesti previously reported that in 2025, the salary of Maria Gracheva, the chief physician at Mykolaiv City Hospital №1, had increased by 20 per cent compared with the previous year. She was receiving over 100,000 hryvnias a month. Her joint savings with her husband have also increased.
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