Belarusian Red Cross: Strengthening of the Visiting Nurses Service


2009

The project “Belarus – Strengthening of the Visiting Nurses Service of the Belarusian Red Cross (VNS BRC)” partly financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is being implemented by the Belarusian Red Cross jointly with the Swiss Red Cross, Austrian Red Cross, German Red Cross as Consortium (Lead Agency: Swiss Red Cross).

The project focuses on the development of the Visiting Nurses Service of the Belarusian Red Cross to provide a good quality medico-social service in the provision of home based care to the most vulnerable population groups: aged, lonely, chronically ill and disabled persons.


The Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRC) is the largest national NGO active in the area of medico-social services through its Visiting Nurses Service (VNS). The Visiting Nurses Service of the Belarusian Red Cross was founded in 1964. It was financed by the government till 1991. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union till 2002 financial support was rendered by the SDC and the Swiss Red Cross (450 nurses). In 2003 the Swiss Red Cross evaluated the work of the Visiting Nurses Service at the request of the Belarusian Red Cross.

The project in view is based on the evaluation results being a product of consolidated efforts. It was launched in August 2005. The Vitebsk and Grodno regions were selected as pilot regions during the first phase. This phase was completed by the end of 2007. A bridging year in 2008 will give the time needed to consolidate the results before launching a next phase and expanding the project.

The overall goal of the project is to achieve official recognition of the Visiting Nurses Service of the Belarusian Red Cross as the organization, which provides quality home care and medico-social services the most vulnerable population groups within local communities.

Project objectives:

  • To increase the awareness in public and government for home care and medico-social services in order to improve image of the VNS BRC and gain the government’s support;
  • To support BRC in positioning VNS and institutionalising community based home care within the overall system of provision of medical and social care;
  • To develop and introduce a new model of medico-social services and home care by VNS BRC provision piloted in two regions;
  • To build the capacity and skills of the BRC for improving the management of the BRC, in particular, the Visiting Nurses Service.
Source: http://www.sdc.by/en/Home/Humanitarian_Aid_Programme/Health_and_Social_Rehabilitation/Strengthening_of_the_Visiting_Nurses_Service
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