Serious Need for Institutionalized Spiritual Care in Patient Medical Facilities .... Reflection based on several personal experiences
Abstract
The author introduces the reader to the legal issues of permanently established spiritual care in bedside medical facilities in the Czech Republic. He binds this concern to the application of the constitutional right of freedom of religion for all inhabitants, regardless of the situation they are in, and the practice of categorical pastoral care organized in other spheres, especially in the armed forces and in the prison facilities.
He explains that chaplains sent to public institutions by religious communities provide their service to anyone who is interested in it, regardless of whether they are believers or non-believers. Its component is a service of presence and listening.
He illustrates the need to include hospital chaplains and their assistants as staff members of a multidisciplinary team within each hospital's professional staff in two cases from his life. In conclusion, he emphasizes the need for the chaplains and their assistants to be set up in every hospital, all day long.