Press release: 9 October – World Day for Palliative and Hospice Care

World Day of Hospice and Palliative Care (World Hospice and Palliative Care Day) celebrated on the second Saturday of October. AT 2021 this day falls on 9 October. It was initiated by the World Alliance for Palliative Care. (The Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance, WPCA).

The goals of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day are:
• in raising awareness of the world community about the problems of palliative care and hospices,
• in helping to create conditions for, so that people can express their opinions about the problem;
• in increasing the understanding of medical, social, practical and spiritual needs of people, with incurable diseases and their family members;
• in promoting the establishment and development of charitable foundations, able to support and develop the hospice and palliative care movement around the world.
The first hospice in the Soviet Union was established in St. Petersburg in 1990 year.
In Belarus, the first organization to provide this type of assistance is the public charitable organization "Belarusian Children's Hospice", which has been operating since October 1994 of the year.
As a separate branch of medicine World Health Organization (VOZ) introduced palliative care in 1982 year. At first, it was defined as caring for a person in the last days of his life.. AT 2002 year, WHO has expanded the concept of palliative care. Today, the following definition is most widely used:
Palliative care is a comprehensive approach, the purpose of which is to ensure the maximum quality of life for a patient with an incurable (deadly) the disease and his family members, by preventing and alleviating suffering through early detection and accurate diagnosis (evaluation) emerging problems and adequate treatment (with pain syndrome and other disorders of vital activity), as well as providing psychosocial and moral support.
WHO defines palliative care for children separately. Palliative care for children is active, all-round physical health care, mental development and mental state of the child, which also provides support for the family.
For the first time in the republic, the definition of palliative care is legally enshrined in 2014 year by the Health Care Act, as a type of medical care, provided if the patient has incurable, life-limiting diseases, requiring the use of methods of medical care, aimed at getting rid of pain and alleviating other manifestations of disease, when the possibilities of other methods of providing medical care have been exhausted, in order to improve the quality of life of the patient.
The first republican institution for the provision of palliative medical care was the state institution "Republican Clinical Center for Palliative Medical Care for Children", which started its work in August 2016 of the year.
The basic principles of palliative care are:
 availability of palliative care;
 continuity of palliative care activities;
 relief from pain and relief of other manifestations of the disease;
 individual approach;
 an integrated approach.
Palliative care is provided by government health organizations and other organizations:
• in stationary conditions;
• on an outpatient basis – in offices (centers) palliative care;
• in the conditions of day care departments;
• outside healthcare organizations – field visiting service of palliative care cabinet (center) palliative care.
True hospice and palliative care is designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the patient, it enables seriously ill people to live without pain, fear and loneliness.
“Helping others is also important for the one who helps. Only active help to others can somehow calm our conscience., which still has to be restless " (Academician D. Likhachev).
8 October in the State Healthcare Institution "Gomel City Clinical Hospital N 4" with 9.00 to 10.00 by phone 8 (0232) 93-07-24 “direct” telephone line will work, your questions will be answered by a therapist (manager) Department of palliative care Ksenzov Nikolay Leonidovich.