Narrative History of Palliative Care in Czech Republic
The Czech Republic's first palliative care unit, consisting of 15 beds was established in a hospital for pulmonary diseases in Babice, near Brno, in November 19924 , providing particularly for patients with advanced lung cancer. By 2002 however, in the wake of funding problems, this unit was being transformed into a long-term care unit.
Dr Marie Svatosova, who has played a crucial role in disseminating the concept of hospice in the country, founded a free-standing 30 bed hospice. This hospice, described as 'strongly inspired by the British model'5 was opened in Cerveny Kostelec in 1995. The first Christian-based hospice, the 26 bedded Hospice of St Agnes of Bohemia was opened in Nachod on 1 January 1996. Also in 1996 the Strasburk Hospice, with 20 in-patient beds, home care and day care, was founded in Prague.6
An extensive website, written in Czech and Slovak and with a brief English summary, provides information on hospice developments in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia: www.hospice.cz/organizace.html.
There is some evidence of active links between hospices and leading figures in the Czech Republic and their opposite numbers in other countries; some respondents expressed a strong interest in exchange and twinning programmes.
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