The Health Minister Kamil Šaško, representatives of churches and hospitals, signed today a Memorandum of Cooperation in Support of Spiritual Service in Health. After 29 years, spiritual service becomes part of comprehensive health care.
The memorandum was signed today by the Minister of Health Košice Archdiocese in the East metropolis Kamil Šaško, Chairman of the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia Bernard Bober, Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia Ivan Eľko, First Vice President of the Association of Hospitals of Slovakia Igor Pramuk and President of the Association of State Hospitals of the Slovak Republic Mongi Msolly.
As it is written in the preamble to the Memorandum, its objective is to develop mutual cooperation between all concerned entities in the provision of spiritual service in institutional health care facilities in the territory of the Slovak Republic, on the one hand, ACKNOWLEDGING the irreplaceable importance of caring for the spiritual needs of the patient, which in the provision of institutional health care forms an important component of complex care, on the other hand, RESPECTING the diversity of the beliefs of patients, their family members and health professionals.
After 29 years, I look forward to declaring boldly that the clergy are not and will no longer be just a visit to provide spiritual service in Slovak hospitals. Our hospitals will allow the clergy to enter the departments even at a time outside the normal visiting hours. said Minister of Health Kamil Šaško. At the same time, he believes that signing the memorandum will contribute to making spiritual service the second pillar of health care. In order to support not only the sick but also his loved ones and ultimately the health care professionals, he is often subjected to a great deal of physical and mental stress, stated the Minister.
