Prof. Dr. Sofijanka Glamochanin, president of the organizational board of the campaign “Friends of the Children Diseases Clinic”

Citizens want to donate, but we have to remind them

Volunteerism at the Children Diseases Clinic has been constantly present since 1993.
Since November, last year, Macedonian public has had an opportunity to get involved in an exceptionally significant action dedicated to children, their health and future. The campaign “Friends of the Children Diseases Clinic” has succeeded to attract the attention of both the people of our country and the representatives of foreign countries, civic organizations, business-sector, artists, show business, media...

The necessary assets and donations for reconstruction of the Clinic’s building, but also for buying some very expensive instruments, for the necessary medicines for children’s health, satisfactorily arrive at the open bank account, in spite of the fact that, as Prof. D-r Sofijanka Glamochanin says, a big part of the promised is to be realized in the forthcoming months.

Prof. D-r Sofijanka Glamochanin, besides her regular professional obligations at the Haemato-oncology Department at the Children Diseases Clinic, together with her colleagues from the Organizational Board of the Campaign, but also with the citizens who are interested to help, has been trying for five months the Clinic to take the place it deserves in the society, but also in the eyes of the children – patients.

 

C.W. – For successful coordination of the activities in the campaign “Friends of the Children Clinic” it is necessary to coordinate your professional and volunteering obligations. How much is volunteerism present at the Clinic?

 

S.G. – Volunteerism has been constantly present since 1993, when we realized our first selling exhibition of children-patients’ drawings from the Oncology Department, in the Parliament Club. Ten years ago in this country there was not any volunteerism in hospital conditions, although in the western countries it was a normal phenomenon. It is normal for the citizens, if they want to, of course with permission by a competent institution, to voluntarily take part in certain segments of hospital’s functioning. Then we tried for the first time to introduce volunteering activities at the Children Diseases Clinic, and we organized the above-mentioned exhibition with the Women’s Association for Fight Against Malignant Diseases “Life Spark“. Since that time, they have been trying to help in various ways to women with such kind of diseases. After the exhibition there were children’s shows, volunteers coming and amusing children in the Clinic with various activities. Among them there were women volunteers from Japan who made origami, toys, but also high-school volunteers and students telling them stories, reading books, learning with them. A part of the volunteers have implemented their acquired experiences in their professional knowledge. One of the members of Life Spark has painted murals with pictures from children’s stories and they brighten up the rooms. I would like to emphasize that the singer Violeta Tomovska, from then onwards, continuously, has been helping voluntarily in different ways, also the musician Toni Kitanovski, who holds concerts and brings guests from various countries, Verica Ristevska, Ugro etc. The number of volunteers, people who want to help, has been increased. As an example I can mention the recently formed Parents’ Association of Children with Malignant Diseases “Butterfly”, whose members help and take part in the campaign. Funds they collect will be used for buying the necessary medicines for the children. Patron of the campaign is the vice president of the Republic Parliament, Liljana Popovska.

 

C.W. – Did the start of the campaign promise the necessary optimism?

 

S.G. – A lot of people were telling us that we would not manage to collect the necessary assets with the campaign. I am pleased with the so far course, taking into consideration the familiar conditions in the economy, but the realization requires bigger persistence and organization. All the departments where there are chronically ill have been involved in the campaign. The Clinic Center has always had a lack of necessary assets for achieving the necessary standard for the patients and the personnel. The state helps, but it is not enough. A few years ago there was reconstruction only of one side of the Clinic, there was lack of assets for the other one and the building itself has big problems with the facade, eroding of the foundations, water-system and sewerage network, heating does not function as it should. Some of the machines that are necessary for expedient work have been amortized: washing machines, the machine for bottles’ sterilization. The hospital apparatus is partly old-fashioned and it is necessary to be renewed if we want to keep the level we had in the past. The Kosovo crisis refugees have exhausted the resources we had and they have not been renewed, except for a very small donation. We also had problems with purchasing necessary medicaments, a part of which is received with delay, but we manage somehow and we are trying to keep pace. This was the reason for the Expert Board to organize the campaign “Friends of the Children Clinic”, classifying the problems in three priority groups. Since the very beginning we have been supported by the Clinic Center, which is one of the organizers, we are supported by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF. Macedonian TV has helped in making a documentary for the Clinic’s condition.

 

C.W. – Who calls, donates, give finances or tries to provide them? What are the familiar of unfamiliar forms of providing necessary help so far?

 

S.G. – The last activity happened on 8th March, organized by the associations “Life Spark“, Single Mothers’ Association, the Red Cross, the Municipality of Center and the children were given presents to the value of 10,000 denars. In the course of February the studio “Charlie Fashion” organized a fashion show with non-professional models, women of the public life, intellectuals, members of civic organizations and with the collected assets from the show and the models we are planning to buy a digital camera with a software, for making the necessary documentation. In the course of April we are planning to present our so far results, but the campaign will continue its activities. We respect all the donations, such as the drawings from the children’s art studios from Bitola and Skopje, being a part of the hospital’s interior, and the company Makmont that has built two toilets. We are soon expecting installation of the equipment in the Nutrition Cabinet with a direct donation from Tehnogas and the room for physical therapy is to be equipped by "Glance Smith Cline”. Companies such as Zegin, Alkaloid etc. have also announced donations. Donations can be and are in a form of apparatus, space equipment, finances. We have not received the biggest announced donations yet and they are to be realized in the course of this year. The biggest part of the activities for reconstructing the Clinic is to be provided with donations by the Italian and Swiss Embassies in Macedonia. They have applied for assets of higher instances, are willing and hope to provide the finances. The Austrian, French and German Embassy have also announced donations for the necessary apparatus and with the assets from the realized concert of Toshe Proeski we are planning to buy apparatus for neurological muscle diseases.

 

C.W. – In this case doctors themselves learn what campaign realization means. Have you tried to engage some experts maybe?

 

S.G. – Yes, we have, but wherever we have applied, the offers were too high so we gave up. Campaign related agencies ask for a lot of money and now we are working alone, we are trying to involve more people, to work transparently, people to know where donated assets are spent. The realization of the campaign is not so fast because it is run by the Organizational Board and the Experts Board, a lot of doctors are involved in various activities, such as writing letters, invitations, projects, contacts with the business sector. Members of the Organizational Board are the following doctors: V. Milev, S. Peova, A. Kostovski, N. Pop-Jordanova, A. Sofijanova, K. Stavric, Zoran Guchev, as well as the spokesperson, the journalist Teuta Krashnica – Chuchkova. If we had a managerial team, providing the necessary assets and medicines for the children would be easier. However, we are persistent and acquiring new experience. For example, with help from an open phone line we have managed to get the necessary donation for marrow transplantation of a sick child. In my opinion, citizens of Macedonia want to donate, to help, but we should remind them.

 

The Organizational Board of the campaign “Friends of the Children Clinic” needs volunteers to help conceiving application projects, correspondence, preparing informative and advertising materials.

 

Children Clinic's bank account for the campaign’s activities

220401100016705

dep. Makedonska banka

JZO KLINICKI CENTAR OE KLINIKA ZA DETSKI BOLESTI

Remittance purpose: donor campaign

e-mail: kampanjaKDB@yahoo.com