Palliative Care in Romania

versiunea romana

Hospice "Casa Sperantei" Brasov - Romania

Palliative Care in Romania

The situation of terminally ill patients in Romania is similiar to those in other developing countries. As a recent World Health Organization report points out, approximately 80% of all newly diagnosed cancer patients in developing nations are already in an advanced phase. The need for palliative care in these countries is clearly identified in these statistics.

Hospice "Casa Sperantei" (House of Hope) was founded in 1992 in partnership with the Ellenor Hospice Foundation of Kent, Great Britain, to help meet the needs of patients in Brasov, Romania. Graham Perolls, Chairman of the Ellenor Hospice and long tied to Brasov through friendships, first proposed and established hospice services in Brasov. Steadily, through the years, the team grew to include 5 doctors, 7 nurses, a priest and a psychologist.

The past seven years have proven to be a modest beginning for a national hospice movement. The first and most urgent task has been the practical care of dying patients. To date, Hospice "Casa Sperantei" has brought comfort to over 1400 patients and their families in Brasov. Currently, we provide home care to approximately 25% of all terminal cancer patients in our county. We will begin work on the in-patient unit in 1999 to provide temporary, short term care to critical patients who cannot be properly cared for at home.

There are other organizations and institutions in Romania that provide palliative care. Some serve mostly cancer patients and some are specialized in caring for children with HIV and AIDS. Most notabe is Hospice Emanuel, providing home care and social services to terminal cancer patients in Oradea.

Along side of this practical care, an educational and promotional campaign has grown to spread hospice care and philosophy throughout the country. In 1996, our Study and Resource Center for Palliative Medicine was founded to bring these new concepts to the medical community by providing introductory and specialization courses for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists from around the country. In Ocotber of 1998, a National Conference was held at the Study Center to establish the Romanian National Association for Palliative Care (ANIP). The Association was formed to promote the issue of palliative care on a national level.

As our partners and supporters in this goal continue to grow, terminal patients throughout Romania will increasingly feel the support of hospice care bringing hope to their lives.