Last hospital in frontline Kostiantynivka ceases operations

The announcement was made by the hospital’s director, Olena Rudenko, in a comment to Suspilne Donbas, as reported by Ukrinform.

“The conditions in our city no longer allow us to provide medical care. It’s extremely dangerous for both patients and doctors. Many of our physicians have left. All our anesthesiologists are gone, we have no traumatologists, and our surgeons have also left. We simply cannot continue providing care,” Rudenko stated.

She added that due to ongoing Russian shelling, the hospital building has no electricity or water supply.

Before the full-scale invasion, the hospital employed 750 staff and operated therapeutic, surgical, pediatric, maternity, gynecological, and ENT departments.

“Later, due to staff shortages, several departments had to shut down. Many cardiologists left early on, so we provided care through the therapeutic department. In recent months, only four departments remained operational. Neurology was treating strokes, our CT scanner was functioning until the very end, and the therapy, traumatology, surgery, emergency care, and trauma unit continued working," Rudenko said.

After the last anesthesiologist left Kostiantynivka, wounded patients were treated using only local anesthesia.

Rudenko emphasized that her hospital was the last medical institution still operating in the city. Prior to its closure, the regional hospital, infectious disease hospital, and psychiatric hospital had already shut down. On August 12, ambulance services also ceased.

As previously reported, Russian forces struck a civilian bus in Kostiantynivka with an FPV drone, injuring three people.

Photo: Serhii Horbunov / Facebook