The children who will shape Mongolia’s future are lying on hospital floors today, suffering from colds and the flu. Yet, there seems to be no one in power who feels any compassion for them. This has always been the case. The authorities, instead of addressing the health crisis, are consumed by political games, focused on how to exploit the situation for personal gain and embezzle funds. The political landscape this winter remains unchanged, with the same grim reality persisting.
While politicians are embroiled in their disputes, the children lie in hospital beds, weak and worn from medications and vaccines. Many of them, with broken veins and sore throats, are too exhausted to even cry. Doctors report that some children have been hospitalized multiple times in a single month, as their conditions worsen or relapse. It’s a tragic reality that these children are paying with their health - and in some cases, their lives - due to the toxic smog created by government neglect and the shortage of adequate healthcare facilities. The government’s failure to act has left vulnerable children to bear the brunt of this crisis.
Mongolia is blessed with a world-class natural resource base, yet it has failed to ensure the health and safety of its most vulnerable, or its children. Today, the country faces a dire situation where it cannot even provide adequate care for them. Air pollution in the capital has reached hazardous levels, and every day, thousands of children are sick and hospitalized. Despite this, the district hospitals, which have fewer than 600 pediatric beds, are overwhelmed. As of last Thursday, more than 2,000 children were receiving treatment, meaning over 1,000 are forced to lie in hospital hallways or on the floor. In such conditions, discussing the quality of care is meaningless, as the basic standards of treatment and hygiene are not being met.
When doctors describe the situation as a disaster, ministers and leaders, unprepared to address the crisis, simply propose superficial solutions like closing schools and kindergartens or digitizing education. There is no real action or response to the healthcare emergency. Back in 2019, when pediatric bed occupancy in the capital exceeded 30 percent, the then-Minister of Health D.Sarangerel responded by opening additional beds. In the following year, when the Second National Center for Maternal and Child Health in Yarmag was finally completed, high-ranking officials, including the then-prime minister, proudly attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. This hospital had been under construction for a decade, its progress frozen for years before it was rushed to completion during an election year. At the opening, then-Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh declared that it was Mongolia’s second maternity and child health center in over 30 years. D.Sarangerel promised that the facility would provide comprehensive treatment for women and children, while Member of Parliament S.Amarsaikhan hailed it as a milestone for quality healthcare in a city of 1.5 million.
However, despite these announcements and the 300-bed hospital, only 140 beds are dedicated to pediatric care. Even with this expansion, the situation has not improved. Over the past four years - and even today - there has been no noticeable progress in the quality of care or services for children in the capital’s hospitals. The system remains overwhelmed, and the conditions for children’s health care continue to be inadequate.
The issue is clear: While the authorities continue to make promises, the reality for children and families remains grim. The government’s focus on short-term political gains and flashy inaugurations has failed to address the long-standing and urgent healthcare needs of Mongolia’s youngest citizens.
Two years ago, when district hospitals were overwhelmed and forced to treat children in hallways due to a lack of space, the issue was briefly addressed in a Cabinet meeting. Following this, Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene directed former Minister of Health S.Enkhbold to take urgent action. The former minister responded by visiting district hospitals to “familiarize himself with the cold and flu situation on the ground”. Afterward, he claimed to have arranged for additional beds to be placed in these hospitals. Fast forward to today, and current Health Minister T.Munkhsaikhan appears to be following the same pattern - donning a mask, blue hat, slippers, and a cloak, and last week visiting the Children’s Department of Chingeltei District’s General Hospital.
During his visit, the minister remarked that the shortage of hospital beds was not the fault of the Ministry of Health but rather due to “the irresponsibility of citizens”. His comments came off as dismissive of the systemic issues that have long plagued the healthcare system. It seems that instead of addressing the root causes, the response has been to “familiarize” ministers with the hospital conditions, a practice that has become routine. The problem, however, has reached a new level of crisis. District health centers are no longer just struggling - they are now at the point of “absorbing” children into whatever space they can find. Beds are spread out not in designated areas but near hospital departments or units, wherever space can be found. This makeshift solution has become the norm.
Ironically, despite some claims of increased resources, the standard of care in children’s hospitals has hardly improved. The quality of services, availability of beds, and readiness for emergencies have remained largely unchanged for the past decade. Doctors and nurses have become resigned to these conditions, and there is little to no discussion about making real improvements. For parents, the situation is nothing short of heartbreaking. While officials continue to take photos and make promises during their visits, the reality is that many families are left desperate, with their children receiving care in overcrowded and under-resourced hospitals.
The country’s total population of children stands at 1,369,449, and as highlighted, it is impossible to provide them all with a healthy and safe environment. This problem is especially dire in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where thousands of children are falling ill each week during the smog season. For instance, from December 9 to 15 of this year, nearly 9,800 children were examined in the capital’s hospitals for flu and flu-like illnesses. In the same period, over 10,600 citizens visited the Emergency Center for similar reasons. In total, about 20,000 people sought medical attention due to respiratory illnesses - 90 percent of them children. These numbers are rising at an alarming rate, with the figures increasing by more than 40 percent each week, according to Head of the Capital City Health Department B.Battsooj.
On weekends, the number of children examined in district hospital outpatient clinics exceeds 3,500, a 68 percent increase from the same period last year. Doctors are openly acknowledging that the situation has reached catastrophic proportions across all districts. The National Center for Health Protection has stated that despite operating 10 examination rooms simultaneously, the demand for care remains overwhelming.
To manage the surge in cases, doctors continue to work extended hours at the capital’s 20 outpatient clinics. As hospital beds become overcrowded, the only option is to open beds in hallways, effectively turning the hospitals into makeshift wards. This year, the spread of triple viral infections, particularly among children, has intensified the crisis. The severity of the disease is greater, recovery is slower, and relapses are more frequent. The World Health Organization (WHO) had issued warnings last September about the global rise in triple viral infections, following the COVID-19 pandemic. These infections, caused by a combination of COVID-19, influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), are now spreading rapidly, especially among children.
RSV, when combined with COVID-19 and other strains of influenza, becomes highly contagious, presenting with symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, fever and prolonged illness. In some cases, coughing can last for up to six weeks. The rapid spread of these infections, coupled with the weakened immunity of the population after the pandemic, has left the country’s healthcare system struggling to cope.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA and other countries have issued urgent warnings that hospitalizations from triple infections - caused by COVID-19, influenza, and RSV - will increase tenfold this year compared to previous years. Unfortunately, Mongolia has ignored these warnings, and the current situation reveals the lack of preparedness for the flu season. Amidst parliamentary and local elections, the government failed to take necessary steps to safeguard public health.
Recent tests from the Virology Laboratory of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) showed alarming results. Out of 223 samples tested last week, 16.9 percent were positive for H1N1 influenza A, 67.6 percent were RSV, which causes high fever and vomiting and 15.5 percent were positive for COVID-19. The triple infection that the WHO warned about is already spreading in Mongolia, yet there seems to be a lack of urgency or proper public awareness regarding its severity. This “stupid infection”, as some have labeled it, is rapidly growing in healthcare systems worldwide, but our country has failed to raise alarm bells about the situation.
It has been reported that around 90 percent of cold and flu patients are children under the age of 15, yet the government has remained largely silent about the dangers of triple infection. As these viruses spread, children experience symptoms like runny nose, headache, muscle pain, loss of smell and taste, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, which quickly escalate to more severe conditions such as difficulty breathing. In some cases, complications can lead to the blockage of the heart and blood vessels. However, parents and guardians have not been properly informed about these risks.
When people voice concerns about the lack of beds in children’s hospitals, officials often respond with statistics that mask the true problem. They point to the 1,700 to 1,800 beds in district health centers, or the combined maternal and child health centers, but these numbers are misleading. The reality is that the district hospitals in the capital, which serves a population of 1.7 million, have fewer than 600 pediatric beds. Mongolia has no specialized children’s hospitals; the two major centers for maternal and child health provide only combined services for mothers, newborns and infants. The few district children’s hospitals exist mainly for outpatient and basic inpatient care, and they are severely under-equipped to deal with the growing crisis.
As a result, the future leaders of Mongolia are being left to “carry” chronic diseases from childhood, without access to proper treatment. The country’s failure to invest in specialized pediatric healthcare infrastructure and to respond effectively to the ongoing health crisis will have long-term consequences for the nation’s health and well-being. The government’s continued neglect of the healthcare system, especially for children, threatens to undermine the country’s future, as these children may never receive the care they need to thrive.
