Introduction
‘Hospice Angelus Moldova’ is a charitable organization based in the capital city of the
Republic of Moldova, Chisinau. Moldova is an independent republic with a population
of 3 million, bordering Romania and Ukraine. It has had a turbulent recent history and
is by far the poorest country in Europe. All cancer patients in the country are treated
at the huge 1010 bed cancer hospital in Chisinau. There are no home-care services,
so when patients are discharged home, the family has to cope without any support.
In 2002, a local surgeon, Dr. Valerian Isac, recognized the need for this kind of care
and established Hospice Angelus as the first provider of palliative care in Moldova.
The primary goal of the organization is to provide medical, social, spiritual and
psychological care to patients with incurable and terminal illnesses.
The concept of hospice care began in the UK in the 1960’s and is now commonplace
throughout the Western world, however because of the lack of sufficient education
and economic resources, the provision of palliative care is not considered a priority
in countries like Moldova. Hospice Angelus Moldova believes that everyone has the
right to live in comfort and with dignity towards the end of their lives and are reaching
out to expand the organization into further areas of the country. Each year,
8000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Moldova and only a fraction of these people
are able get the necessary care.
Dorin Goian started travelling with "Hospice Angelus" team in 2011 to present his
unique and personal view on the work with terminally ill patients in Moldova."
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