Facilities of the Second Medical Association of Lviv are creating spaces that are friendly to children and families. As part of its cooperation with UNICEF, a dedicated child-friendly space for the patronage service has started operating at the Outpatient Department of the Prince Lev Hospital at 7A Khimichna Street. This is already the third upgraded area in the city’s medical facilities, and in total six such spaces are planned in different districts of Lviv.
The new space includes a modern room for routine vaccinations and medical check-ups for infants and young children, equipment for weighing and monitoring development, as well as a comfortable waiting area with a play corner. The environment is designed so that children can play, adapt and calm down before the examination, while parents can talk calmly with healthcare workers and receive advice.
At the facility on 7A Khimichna Street, four rooms and the lobby have been refurbished, children’s play equipment has been installed, and the walls have been painted. According to the Medical Director of the Second Medical Association of Lviv, Maksym Pavlov, this is an important step towards creating a safe and comfortable environment where children receive quality medical care from the first days of life, and parents receive professional support.
Similar spaces are already operating at the Outpatient Department at 6 Rappaporta Street and at the LDC “Levandivka” at 99 Povitryana Street. The set-up of a space at the family medicine outpatient clinic at 41 Vyhovskoho Street is nearing completion. Next, children’s corners are to appear at the outpatient clinic at 30A Velychkovskoho Street and at the Outpatient Department at 3 Stetska Street.
UNICEF emphasises that child-friendly spaces help reduce fear of examinations or vaccinations and foster a positive attitude towards medical staff. They also contribute to better monitoring of children’s development and make it possible to spot potential difficulties earlier, so that families can be referred in good time to early intervention, rehabilitation or additional support services.
UNICEF’s support includes not only refurbishment and equipment. Nurses of the Second Medical Association have completed specialised training on conducting patronage visits to children from birth to four years of age. The facility has also received up-to-date methodological guidelines, manuals and information materials for healthcare workers and parents.
The Head of the Health Department of Lviv City Council, Marta Matiushko, notes that similar projects are being implemented at the First Medical Association of Lviv as well. In particular, a child-friendly space is being set up at the Diagnostic and Treatment Centre on Symonenka Street, and the next project is being prepared at the LDC on Medovoi Pechery Street. The overall goal is to ensure that child-friendly spaces appear in all city outpatient clinics providing primary healthcare, which should improve the quality of prevention and development support for Lviv’s youngest residents.
Parents speak positively about the new conditions. They note that thanks to the play areas, children cope more easily with waiting, and adults have more opportunity for an unhurried conversation with the doctor about the child’s development, breastfeeding, nutrition, disease prevention and vaccination.
The UNICEF patronage service is a separate area of work for which nurses receive dedicated training. Unlike family nurses, patronage nurses visit families with newborns without being tied to a specific family doctor, receiving information about births from maternity hospitals and perinatal centres. The first visit takes place within the first seven days after discharge from the maternity hospital and lasts almost an hour: the nurse assesses the conditions in which the baby is growing up, the care provided to the child, possible signs of postnatal depression in the mother, and determines a further plan for supporting the family.
Until the child reaches one year of age, four home visits are envisaged for those families who need more attention. Other routine check-ups, vaccinations and questionnaires are carried out in outpatient clinics – this is precisely why separate children’s corners and vaccination rooms are being set up in these facilities.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and UNICEF are jointly implementing the pilot home-visiting programme “Care from Birth at Home”. It is designed to ensure quality home care and support for families by qualified nurses and to improve the work of the patronage service, which has existed in Ukraine before. The programme complements standard paediatric appointments, where only about 15 minutes are usually allocated for examination and discussion with parents.
You can watch a video about the new child-friendly space at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/23zfHEdkLvs?feature=oembed