FYR Macedonia

"The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia currently has no hospice care available for adults and children suffering from a terminal illness. Hospices of Hope (with support from Help the Hospices) are supporting Dr Alex Jakimovski (pictured with Graham Perolls) in his training in hospice care. Dr Jakimovski began a distance learning Diploma course in Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University in September 2007 and following his graduation from this course, will work alongside Hospices of Hope to begin hospice care provision to terminally ill patients in the capital, Skopje.” 

“I just came back from a visit to a terminally ill patient I had to see because she was in terrible pain for many weeks. Other doctors didn’t take it seriously so she tried to hang herself in her living room. Now she is considering jumping out of the window of her flat on the seventh floor. Her son is a bodyguard to important politicians and business people in Macedonia and he knew a friend of mine. I adapted her drugs and advised them because this lovely lady of 60 years old had a broken pelvis from the metastases of the diseases and they were making her to walk. She has been in much pain for months and only next week she is going to see the Oncologist for the first time. The family was under great stress. They had to make her climb to the seventh floor every day, up and down only to get her to the doctor to get one injection of Tramadol, and she definitely needs a stronger drug. It once again remained me of the need of a proper hospice in Macedonia”

Alex Jakimovski