Professor David Oliver has recently been in Cakovec in Croatia leading a Study Day on Palliative Care within the county of Medimurje. The day was part of a two-day seminar organised by Renata Mardetko Bermanec, a nurse who studied at the University of Kent. Renata is one of the only professionals in Croatia to have a postgraduate qualification in palliative care – the MSc in Supportive and Palliative care from Kent.
David is Honorary Professor at the Tizard Centre and has been visiting Croatia and helping to develop palliative care services since 2000. He was accompanied by Anke Bohn, a home care nurse for the Ellenor Foundation in Dartford.
The day was attended by 100 people from the local area and other parts of Croatia.
David spoke of the day:
“We were very pleased to have the opportunity to share our UK experience with Croatia. Palliative care is developing and this meeting gave the opportunity to enable further discussion about the way forward. We were so pleased that the County Mayor, local health leaders and a representative from the Ministry of Health were there to support the day. With all this support and enthusiasm palliative care is now developing and spreading, so that more patients and their families can benefit from improved care .”
David is an Honorary Professor at the University of Kent’s Tizard Centre. David has written and spoken widely on the palliative care of people with neurological disease, and in particular motor neurone disease. He speaks regularly at international and national congresses. He is Chair of a task force of the European Association for Palliative Care and the European Academy of Neurology on neurological palliative care.