Most children who have non-serious forms of asthma usually undergo two or three treatment sessions, says Chonka, who has worked at the hospital since 1981 when he became deputy chief physician. For adults and more severe illnesses, the process can take longer.
"This is my sixth year," says Serhiy Savchuk, a 48-year-old from the central Ukrainian city of Kirovograd who suffers from chronic bronchitis.
"After treatment, I feel much better, but it slowly deteriorates and lasts about a year before I have to come back," Savchuk said.
The hospital treats more than 5,000 patients a year -- three quarters of them under the free government health care system, with the rest paying US$22 a day -- and has a waiting list months long.
"This place is a godsend," says Yelena Dietrich, a German national who heard about the facility from friends in western Ukraine and whose 10-year-old daughter is in the middle of her first treatment.
"Before, running was out of the question for her. Now she can run," she said.
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