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Health Care Chaplaincy in Ukraine
2002 Standards Document in
Ukrainan
The Development of
Healthcare Chaplaincy in Ukraine
After the fall of the USSR, the Ukraine Health Care System inherited all
problems of the Soviet Health Care. A very serious problem was, and still
remains medical chaplaincy that was forbidden in the time of the Soviet
Union.
In November 2004 by special
Decree of Lubomyr Huzar, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (http://www.ugcc.org.ua/eng/ugcc_history/)
there was established the Inter-diocesan Commission of the Ukrainian
Greek-Catholic Church for the Pastoral Health Care. The Commission was
called to develop and provide the mission of the Church in the Health Care
in Ukraine.
Tasks of the Commission
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To establish cooperation with
religious, state and public organizations which work in the Health Care;
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To spread in Ukrainian
society the Church teaching on life and health of man and the meaning of
his suffering;
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To affirm Christian values in
medical social and educational institutions, and in the Ukrainian
legislation;
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To assist an education of the
responsible and careful attitude towards every patient and the respect to
his dignity;
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To conduct monitoring of the
Health Care problems, especially related to the quality and conditions of
medical treatment.
Main fields of activity
1. Pastoral activity
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Development of the pastoral
programs, measures and actions in the Health Care;
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Organization of the pastoral
Health Care work in all UGCC’s dioceses in Ukraine.
2. Educational activity
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Conducting of
scientific-practical seminars, trainings and other educational measures;
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Assistance to the specialized
studies of clergy, medical workers, volunteers for the future work in the
Pastoral Health Care.
3. Academic activity
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Organization of conferences,
round tables on present-day themes and questions;
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Conducting of researches and
monitoring of problems of the Health Care in Ukraine
4. Publishing activity
Translation and publication
of research, practical handbooks, Church documents etc.
At the present time one of
the main task of the Commission is to develop medical chaplaincy in the
Church as well to bring an attention of the society to this issue. With
this intension the Commission presented to the Bishop Conference of UGCC
the project of the document “The Status of the Medical Chaplain”. At the
same time the Commission makes research in order to present to the Bishop
Conference possible initiatives for the legitimisation of medical
chaplaincy in Ukraine.
Rev Volodymyr Lyupak
[May 2008]
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