On June 9, 2022, at the invitation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Government of the Russian Federation, the delegation of the Patriarchal Hospital "Al-Hosn" from Syria began an official visit to Russia.
This hospital, run by the Orthodox Church of Antioch, is located west of the city of Homs in the so-called Valley of Christians. The Patriarchal Hospital provides medical care to more than 400 thousand people living there, provides a wide range of medical and diagnostic services.
The Russian Orthodox Church supports the Al-Hosn Hospital. In particular, in 2021, the hospital received new medical equipment: artificial lung ventilation devices, X-ray equipment, other medical equipment, as well as a powerful power plant. The assistance was provided in response to the appeal of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
The delegation, which included ten specialists headed by the director of the Al-Hosn Hospital, Khaled Yazidji, began its working trip with the Patriarchal Hospital of St. Alexy. "We thank the Russian government and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for everything they do for us. We are very glad to be at the Patriarchal Hospital today, to see everything with our own eyes and are grateful for the opportunity to gain valuable experience," shared H. Yaziji.
The doctors of the Al-Hosn Hospital have extensive experience in providing medical care to the seriously injured. St. Alexy's Hospital has also recently gained experience in treating those who have been injured.
The members of the delegation visited the hospital, including the radiation diagnostics center, the operating unit and the intensive care unit. St. Alexy's Hospital is the largest medical institution of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is a multidisciplinary medical institution with 280 beds. The hospital treats people from all regions of Russia for free, regardless of religion. The inpatient service is represented by a multidisciplinary surgical hospital, departments of traumatology and orthopedics, neurology, therapy, two departments of palliative care. Since the beginning of March, the hospital has been providing medical assistance to refugees. During this time, 311 patients applied there for help, 23 were hospitalized, 18 of them were taken out of Mariupol. In addition, five volunteer doctors from the St. Alexy Church Hospital are currently providing assistance to the residents of Mariupol. The training center of St. Alexy's Hospital provides training in the care of the wounded in hospitals.
"We are very happy to meet our colleagues today. In our time, when there is so much separation, it is especially valuable for us that a delegation from Syria has arrived. We are glad to meet the director and staff of the hospital, which is also a patriarchal one. Today we had a live chat. We looked at X-rays, discussed the tactics of surgical treatment. Our hospital shared its experience, and we were very interested in the experience of our Syrian colleagues, including in the treatment of the wounded. We hope for further cooperation," said Alexey Zarov, the chief physician and director of the Hospital with Alexia.
According to the press service of the Synodal Department for Charity, during the visit to Russia, Syrian doctors will visit medical hospitals in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.