- John J. Gohmann, M.D. oncologyst.

A hospice is a charitable establishment supported by the state, both a medical and a social institution. It serves cancer patients at an advanced stage of their illness. A high level of professionalism and compassion in those who devote themselves to care for the suffering - that is the essence of a hospice. To receive any payment from those we care for or those close to them is totally unacceptable. Conditions for the patient and family must be as close to domestic comfort as possible.

Hospice means the opportunity to live without pain, fear and loneliness, to use the remaining time of the patient's life to the utmost. That is control of all symptoms, psychological as well as physical, and spiritual support for the patient according to the patient's wishes. Whatever needs to be done to relieve the special pain felt by our patients, we will do it. Some patients need full information about the seriousness of their condition, others cannot accept that knowledge. Each of them has the right to know what is best for them. To support both these types of people, we must treat them completely differently.

Doses of narcotics will vary with the individual patient, but they must always be adequate for the intensity of symptoms that is present. That very rarely happens in conventional hospitals. The devotion of our medical staff must also be at a higher level. Whatever the patient wants, if it is possible we will do it. We will accommodate any wish, any caprice. We respect the patient's right to remain an individual and to express their personality until the end.

It means teaching relatives to care for the patient. Our patients are very different people themselves, and their homes also differ very widely. We must find the right way to deal with the individual situation of sick people's families, as well as their own.

It means psychological and practical support for family members not only at the time they are losing a loved one, but long afterwards. To care properly for a patient means not to forget about those who are left behind. They must be as important to us as they were to the person they entrusted to us.

It means the availability of professional help, specialized when needed, all day and all night, all year round, and continuing education of staff and volunteers at the highest professional level.

We want to build a hospice that can live on, so that our patients will never be abandoned.

We believe that only a free facility can be called a hospice, and that the hospice movement deserves the support of society. Our hospice is free to all and receives state financing. Private and corporate donations, contributions of government and non-governmental organizations, and church funding are sources of supplementary funding. All funds are spent under the strict oversight of a committee appointed by VALE.