A Journey to Hospices in Moldavia

In August, I had the special opportunity to visit Moldavia for five days. Maria Herzog, palliative care professional from Dortmund and coordinator for the hospice “Gloria” in Ceadir Lunga, accompanied me and gave me the occasion to get to know the hospices and their executives in this country. Establishing partnerships with East European hospices is one great aim of academy work at Johannes-Hospiz.

The hospice Gloria is situated in the south of the republic of Moldavia in the autonomous region Gagausia. The relief organisation “Wort und Tat” (“Word and Action”) (which belongs to the Deichmann Foundation) has been maintaining an in-patient and out-patient hospice since 2013. The hospice, directed by Tamara Paunov, has 19 beds. But now, during the pandemic, only 10 beds are occupied. The ground floor is the quarantine ward. The staff of the hospice include a female doctor, a pastor, the hospice’s direction, a directing nurse, eight nurses, seven assistant nurses, two cooks, and three colleagues who are responsible for the security at night. I was very much impressed by the high degree of care at this hospice.

Two hours by car away from Ceadir Lunga, in the capital Chisinau, there is the hospice “Angelus”. Beside other palliative tasks it focuses on pediatric hospice work. Accordingly, the in-patient childrens’ hospice “Casa Angelus”, was opened in the village Isacova in the summer of 2017. Its director, Dr. Valerian Suruceanua, gave us the occasion of a short but very touching visit to his seriously ill children.

We were also received, there, by Dr. Vasile Suruceanu, responsible for the hospice “Carolina de Nord” in Zubresti, a village of about 3.000 inhabitants, about 50 km northwest of Chisinau. Opened in 2006, it has now more than 15 beds. Beside the hospice, there is also the necessary home care offered by four mobile palliative teams. A hospice which has to make do with very little financial means.

Precious impressions remain of this journey, which also implied the visit of a monastery and of the state vineyards in Cricova. Ideas of a future cooperation have come into being. During a common supper, Dr. Suruceanu put it in a nutshell: „Давайте начинать!“ Let us begin!

 

 

 

 

Photo top right: Tamara Paunov (left) with Maria Herzog

Photos below:
Photo 1: Dr. Eleonore and Vasile Suruceanu
Photo 2 and 3: Impressions from everyday life
Photo 4: Landscape near Cricova