The Hospice Ukraine Charitable Foundation has donated UAH 1 million to the Dobrobut Foundation to support Ukrainian palliative care patients. Hospice Ukraine is a foundation founded by British neurosurgeon and author Henry Marsh, British palliative care physician and author Rachel Clarke, and Dobrobut Medical Network neurosurgeon Andriy Myzak to support Ukrainian hospices.
Thanks to the support of Hospice Ukraine, the specialists of the Dobrobut Palliative Care Center will provide free counseling to children and adults, as well as on-site consultations every 14 days. In addition, both patients and their relatives will be able to receive counseling from a psychologist at the Dobrobut Mental Health Center. According to preliminary estimates, 500 palliative care patients will receive free assistance.
The palliative care consultations will be conducted by the head of the Center Zoya Maksimova (adults) and doctor Anna Yatsulchak (children) at 3 Lyubomyr Huzar Street, building 5. Psychological counseling will be provided by Dobrobut psychologist Maryna Ruda.
In October 2022, Rachel Clarke came to Ukraine to present her book “Love My Life,” which tells about her experience in palliative care. Her friend Henry Marsh accompanied her on the trip, and in Ukraine they were met and assisted by Henry's friend and student, Dobrobut neurosurgeon Andriy Myzak.
In addition to the presentation, Rachel Clark wanted to know how she could be useful to Ukrainians as a palliative care specialist. She suggested that Henry and Andriy create a charitable foundation that would help both patients and palliative care doctors in Ukraine. And after being in a bomb shelter near the Kyiv railway station during a massive missile attack, Rachel, Henry and Andriy finally decided to establish the Hospice Ukraine charity foundation. This is how the collaboration between British and Ukrainian palliative care specialists began.
In six months, in the summer of 2023, the Royal College of Medicine in London hosted a presentation of the foundation, during which the organizers raised 100 thousand pounds. Currently, among the philanthropists who support Hospice Ukraine are British TV screenwriter, writer, comedian and former doctor Adam Kay, author of the world bestseller It's Gonna Hurt. And also, the English rock musician and actor Sting, who donated his guitar for sale at the charity auction.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to support such an important and necessary work of the Dobrobut Foundation in Ukraine. Helping patients with incurable diseases is extremely important now, as the war has seriously disrupted the system of care for them. We know that there are patients all over the country who are experiencing physical and psychological suffering and who can benefit from palliative care. It's great that we can join Dobrobut's charitable activities. I am proud that the British are working with Ukrainians to support such vulnerable patients. I hope this is just the beginning of many more joint initiatives”, said Rachel Clark, a palliative care doctor.
“A quality life is possible even with a serious illness. And psychological support in palliative care helps patients and their families to maintain emotional balance, accept the diagnosis and find meaning in difficult circumstances. We often do not notice how difficult it is for those who take care of their loved ones on a daily basis. When a person can express their feelings and fears, it helps to better understand their condition and improves their quality of life. We are extremely grateful to our partners at Hospice Ukraine for realizing the importance of supporting both people with incurable diseases and their loved ones”, said Zoya Maksimova, head of the Palliative Care Center at Dobrobut Medical Network.
To make an appointment with the specialists, please call the Dobrobut contact center at the following numbers: (044) 495 2 888, (097) 495 2 888, (050) 495 2 888.
