I have the unique pleasure of introducing Hippocrates - a Health Centre for children with chronic conditions.

Good health is a very precious gift and its maintenance throughout life is our responsability. Chronically sick children are not blessed with good health and consequently face enormous obstacles in their development and social integration due to their condition.

The suffering caused by chronic conditions both to children and their families has served as an incentive for founding this non-governmental, non-profit organisation for children with chronic conditions coming from socially vulnerable families, at a time when the Republic of Moldova is implementing important politico-economic changes, while the poverty levels have registered worrying levels. The crisis in the Moldovan healthcare system has made many specialists explore the possibility of non-pharmacological treatments, comparatively less expensive and yet relatively successful for the recovery/rehabilitation of patients with chronic conditions.

Since ancient times, Hippocrates, when describing methods to fortify good health and facilitate harmonious physical and mental development, emphasized the importance of physical exercise as both therapeutic and preventitive means. Throughout the centuries, this concept did not shade nor lose its importance, on the contrary, it became fundamental in maintaining good health these last decades.

The use of exercise and modern physiotherapeutic methods represents one of the key principles adopted within the Hippocrates Centre as an important tool for functional recovery. Providing help to chronically ill children, we did not content ourselves with only physical therapy but also complementary methods enhancing effective rehabilitation such as occupational therapy, therapeutic massage, and orthosis are largely applied within the Hippocrates Centre.

We could not disregard the fact that the parents taking care of a child with chronic conditions have the difficult task of searching for cost-effective recovery programs. Therefore, the continuous training and education of parents with regard to care of chronically ill children and the choice of appropriate treatment methods, approach to and understanding of the nature of their child suffering has been at the core of our center's activities since our opening. Listening to their fears, needs and problems and together building up recovery programs with well defined, relevant and realistic goals, we bring the family of the chronically ill child into the focal point of the rehabilitation process. We tranform the patient and his/her family from the target of the recovery process into an active participant of the long-term, sustainable project aiming at recovery and social integration.

Working within a non-governmental organization, we have had the opportunity of collaborating with many specialists in the field of medical recovery, who have helped us gain knowledge of newer methods, less practiced in our country.

All these beautiful things would not have existed without the financial support of our loyal sponsors: Tony Hawks and ChildAid from Great Britain, and we would like to express our warmest and sincere thanks in the name of those children, whose lives have become better due to their help.

Diana Covalciuc,

rehabilitation paediatrician, executive director of Hippocrates Centre