About us

‘Angelus Moldova’ is a charitable organisation based in the capital city of the Republic of Moldova, Chişinau. Moldova is an independent republic with a population of 4 million, bordering Romania and Ukraine. It has had a turbulent recent history and is by far the poorest country in Europe. All cancer patients in the country are treated at the huge 1010 bed cancer hospital in Chişinau. There are no home-care services, so when patients are discharged home, the family has to cope without any support. In 2002, a local surgeon, Dr. Valerian Isac, recognised the need for this kind of care and established Hospice Angelus as the first provider of palliative care in Moldova. The primary goal of the organisation is to provide medical, social, spiritual and psychological care to patients with incurable and terminal illnesses.

The concept of hospice care began in the UK in the 1960’s and is now commonplace throughout the Western world, however because of the lack of sufficient education and economic resources, the provision of palliative care is not considered a priority in countries like Moldova. We believe that everyone has the right to live in comfort and with dignity towards the end of their lives and we are reaching out to expand our organisation into further areas of the country. Many individuals and families from around Moldova now know us as the leading providers of palliative care in the country and we are working hard to cope with the demand. Each year, 8000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Moldova and we are only able to provide the necessary care to a fraction of these people.

We are a member of the following national and international associations:

• November 2001 - Member of the National Association for Palliative Care;
• December 2001 - Member of the European Association for Palliative Care in Eastern Europe;
• January 2003 - Member of the Working Group for Palliative Care in Eastern Europe.

Our Mission
To become the professional leaders in the delivery of high quality palliative care in the Republic of Moldova for patients with incurable and terminal diseases

Our Vision
To increase the community's involvement in the approach to the problems patients face at the end of their lives by offering care, support, counselling, training and the choice of where they are cared for