Friends of the Belarusian Children's Hospice

The Belarusian Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Centre

BCH is the leading children’s hospice in the whole of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Founded in 1994, BCH was the very first children’s hospice in this region.  Today it has 28 members of staff, two centres (the main one in Minsk and a smaller one in Gomel) and a holiday site in the countryside for hospice children and families.  BCH has started up 7 smaller children’s hospices around Belarus.  

BCH cares for around 206 families each year, which is 206 terminally and chronically ill children plus their parents, siblings and, often, grandparents who are also involved in the home care of a child.  

BCH firmly believes that the right place for a child is with their family unless there are special circumstances which make this impossible.  With the help of BCH, many families who have been facing the choice of giving up their child to a life in institutions or hospital wards are able to care for their child at home.  BCH allocates a medical team to each hospice child and the care plan is drawn up in consultation with the family.  BCH nurses, doctors, therapists and carers will visit as many times a week or month as necessary.  BCH’s hot line is open at all times of the day or night to advise families or to send out urgent medical help.  All services, drugs and medical equipment are provided free of charge.  BCH is also able to provide some material help to the poorest families, such as children’s clothes, food, fruit and toys.

BCH runs the first palliative care training courses in Belarus in conjunction with the Belarusian Medical Academy and it has the country’s only palliative care resource centre.  The training activity is now attracting people from the rest of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe who are interested in children’s palliative care.  Those wanting to start a children’s hospice movement in their own countries come to Belarus for training and advice or invite BCH’s director to their own country to run seminars.