On January 23, in continuation of his working trip to the Antiochian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, visited the Patriarchal Hospital "Al-Hosn", which is under the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Patriarchate.
Metropolitan Anthony was accompanied by the commander of the group of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic, Colonel-General A.N. Serdyukov, the defense attache of the Russian Embassy in Syria, Rear Admiral O.V. Kornienko, Executive Director of the Christian Culture and Heritage Support Fund E.I. Skopenko, as well as members of the church delegation consisting of the adviser to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Deputy Chairman of the DECR Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk and assistant chairman of the DECR Priest Alexander Ershov.
At the entrance to the medical institution, the guests were met by the director of the hospital H. Yazigi, Bishop Arseny of Hierapolis, hospital staff.
Dr. H. Yazidji expressed his joy that after the cordial reception of a group of doctors of the Al-Hosn Hospital in Russia in June 2022, he has the opportunity to receive a high delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church in this medical institution.
The head of the hospital conducted a tour of various departments for Metropolitan Anthony and his accompanying persons, including diagnostic rooms and operating rooms, the equipment for which was supplied by Russia with the assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church. In particular, a tomograph was demonstrated, which is currently the most modern in the country.
The DECR Chairman visited hospital wards, talked with patients. He also got acquainted with the progress of construction works carried out with Russian support for the construction of a new hospital building, as well as the creation of classrooms for the medical institute being established on its basis.
The Al-Hosn Hospital, located to the west of the city of Homs, in the Valley of Christians, provides medical care to more than 400 thousand people living there. The number of staff is more than 100 people, of which 40 people are doctors.
At the request of His Beatitude Patriarch John of Antioch, the Russian Orthodox Church has been supporting the hospital for many years. In 2021, on her initiative, the hospital was equipped with the necessary equipment purchased at the expense of the Christian Culture and Heritage Support Fund and delivered and installed with the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Last year, the completion of a new batch of medical equipment for the Al-Hosn Hospital was completed. On the eve of the visit by the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, two new Russian ambulances arrived at the hospital.