First Orthodox hospice in Ukraine to be built in Odessa (VIDEO)

On April 8, a presentation of the first Orthodox Centre of Hospice and Palliative Medicine "Pokrov" was held in the Pokrovsky Skete of the Holy Dormition Odessa Monastery, located in the village of Marinovka, Beliaevka district, Odessa region, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

Before the opening of the event, Metropolitan Agaphangel of Odessa and Izmail performed a moleben before the beginning of a good cause.

In his archpastoral speech, after the service, Vladyka stressed that "in connection with the growth of cancer and the lack of necessary conditions for the maintenance of patients at the terminal stage of the disease, representatives of the medical community of Odessa, having studied the world practice on the constructive cooperation of doctors and clergymen in the care for the terminally ill, appealed to me with a request for assistance in solving this urgent problem."

"In this connection, with my blessing, the creation of the first Orthodox hospice in Ukraine "Pokrov" was started. For this, a lot of work has already been done: here, near Odessa, in an ecologically clean zone on the bank of the estuary, an unfinished four-storey building with a total area of more than 2300 sq. m. was purchased, in which by the end of April 2017, large-scale works on roof and service lines installation, window glazing, painting of facades had been completed. For all these needs, the diocese has already spent about 8 million hryvnias", said Metropolitan Agaphangel.

According to experts, currently in Ukraine, oncological diseases are diagnosed in about 1 million people, and even in 1990 there were 670,000 such patients. Sad statistics says that the mortality rate from cancer in Ukraine is 2 times higher than in Europe, and every second patient in Ukraine dies in the first year of pathology, which is 10 times higher than in developed countries.

The bishop noted that the hospice will provide charity aid to both patients from different parts of Ukraine and from neighboring settlements.

The planned period for the implementation of the social project is the second half of 2019.