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The Serbian Government have endorsed a
National Strategy for Palliative Care
which the Serbian Health Minister and
his associates publicised at a Press
Conference at Tanjug International Press
Centre. They spoke about the
significance of palliative care and the
need for the National Strategy.
Minister Tomica Milosavljevic noted that
palliative care of the most marginalised
categories of patients should be
integrated into the national health
system and not be a privilege of only
those patients who have the abililty to
afford the specialist care He also
emphasised that the main idea of
palliative care is that the patients
will live out their last days with less
pain and suffering and with dignity and
a better quality of life.
The Minister highlighted that at this
moment only two institutions caring for
terminally ill patients are the City
Office for home nursing and care, and
BELhospice, a charity organisation that
is pioneering palliative care in Serbia.
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Even though the National Strategy has
been officially endorsed, it does have
particular inconsistencies (read more
about in
Observations to
National Strategy By Natasa
Milicevic). The view- point held by
BELhospice is that this Strategy
represents a good foundation for further
upgrades and the involvement of all
sectors in society that could contribute
to better care of patients, at the time
that it is necessary for them and in the
surroundings that best suits them.
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