Romania Leader In E Europe Regarding End-Of-Life Care Development

"During the time of the Ceaucescu regime in Romania, end-of-life care in the country was non-existent. Most deaths occurred at home with the dying suffering great pain. As the result of a heavily regulated system, gaining access to opioids was extremely difficult, with Romania's annual morphine consumption among the lowest in Eastern Europe," said the survey, which looks into end-of-life care services across the world.

According to the survey, since the fall of the communist regime, Romania has registered significant developments regarding end-of-life care, especially after British philanthropist Graham Perolls founded Casa Sperantei hospice in 1992.

The founding of Princess Diana Hospice Education Centre in 1997 ensured the proper staff to take care of terminal patients. The institution trained over 4,000 doctors and medical assistants in the palliative care field.

Due to its severe restrictions on access to opioids, Romania was selected in 2002 as a pilot country for a program run by the University of Wisconsin Pain and Policy Studies Group, the World Health Organization's European office and the Open Society Institute. In 2006, new laws easing access to painkillers wee enacted.

"Casa Sperantei has become a model institution, now replicated in other parts of Eastern Europe," said the survey.

Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance executive manager Stephen Connor said that Romania and Poland are East European leaders regarding the development of palliative care services.

In Europe, hospices tend to be partly financed privately or charitably, said EIU, adding that, in Eastern Europe many of donations come from the UK, which finances programs in several countries, including Romania, Serbia and the Republic of Moldova.

EIU highlighted that, some East European programs, including those run in Romania, managed to get support from local governments.

The EIU quality of death index lists 40 states worldwide, of which 30 are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The UK and Australia are ranked first regarding quality of death (7.9 points), followed by New Zealand (7.7 points) and Ireland (6.8 points). Romania was not included in the quality of death rankings.

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