Children from bombed Ukrainian cancer hospital arrive in Utrecht

Four Ukrainian children who were being treated for cancer at a hospital hit by a Russian military strike are arriving in Utrecht on Tuesday.

The Princess Máxima Centrum agreed to transfer the four patients following the attack on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on July 8, which killed two people and left another 32 injured.

Rob Pieters, paediatric oncologist at the specialist hospital, told RTL Nieuws: “Like everyone else we were appalled when we heard about the missile strike, but we also knew we had to take action.

“Continuity is so important in treating children’s cancer: we can’t let big gaps appear.”

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 the hospital has taken in more than 120 patients from Ukraine. Some have finished their treatment and returned home, while six have died.