Children’s hospital in Tehran keeps hopes and smiles alive during war

Tehran, Iran – Many Iranian families picnicked outdoors during daylight hours on Thursday for Sizdah Bedar, which marks Nature Day in the Persian calendar, despite the ongoing bombardment by the United States and Israel.

Thousands gathered at Pardisan Park, a sprawling complex northwest of Tehran, to spend time with loved ones as holidays for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, came to an end with politicians and commanders ordering more strikes and threatening to escalate attacks.

A short drive away near the downtown area of the capital, a group of doctors and healthcare providers tried to offer a joyful experience to children who could not go outside with their families due to illness.

Resident doctors and interns at the Children’s Medical Center, a hospital operating under the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, have been pooling their own money with some donations to organise activities for the children suffering from underlying health conditions.

The paediatric facility, and the adjacent Imam Khomeini Hospital, have not been impacted by strikes, unlike a number of other medical facilities in Tehran and across the country, some of which have had to suspend services.

But the bombs have rung out loud numerous times after hitting nearby areas since the start of the war over a month ago.

“The children and their families have been going through a lot of pressure and anxiety because they have to be in the hospital under these stressful conditions,” Dr Samaneh Kavousi, one of the organisers, told Al Jazeera.

“We’ve been trying to do what we can to relieve some of that anxiety,” she said.

During the Nowruz holidays that started on March 20, children were encouraged to draw and paint, and the artworks were on display on Thursday when their families came to celebrate at the hospital.

The main themes were the Haft Sin table and Sizdah Bedar, or the 13th day of the first month, which symbolises doing away with ill fortune.

Most of the children were very young, a few of them babies being held by fathers, mothers and siblings who came out to support them and keep spirits alive despite the hardships of caring for a sick family member amid the war.

Some danced together to children’s music, along with hospital staff wearing costumes of Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear and characters from PAW Patrol, the popular animation series about brave puppies who work together to safeguard their community.

Others played with balls, had their faces painted, filled colouring books, or left palm prints on paper. The children also received a fun bag filled with toys and food.

Dr Zeynab Aalihaghi, another resident organiser of the event at the hospital, said that the facility is not tasked with treating children wounded during the war, but the number of its patients has declined compared to before the war.

She told Al Jazeera that up to about 400 children were being cared for in the hospital before the war, while less than 100 are now there. The doctor added that some parents have opted to take their children to paediatric facilities in other cities, which may be perceived as being safer at the time that the child needs treatment.

“But our emergency admissions have increased over the past two days, so it could mean that we might experience a new peak after the Nowruz holidays,” Aalihaghi said.

The doctor said she believes that, at its current state, the hospital is prepared to quickly bounce back to normal activity levels when the war ends.

Kavousi, the other doctor, said the facility faces no shortage of medicine at the moment, and hopes to be able to continue helping children and their families.

“Healthcare personnel are also under a lot of mental strain,” she said. “But we will continue to do our duty to serve our people and work to take away children’s pain.”