In 1998, two Swedish lady missionaries, who worshipped in the local Pentecostal church in Skopje, had a burden for the poor people who had no access to medical care, especially for the women and children. They had a vision for an inter-denominational clinic, which would care for all types of people irrespective of nationality, social status or funding.
The rich would pay private fees, and this would provide the funding for those who could not afford to pay.
At the same time, the church in Sweden caught the vision, and in particular, envisaged the work of the clinic to be associated with refugees. There was no hint at that time of the Kosovan crisis.
Plans for the clinic, called Ihtus Remedium (Jesus the Healer), were initiated and the Swedish Government promised finance for the first year.
Initially one doctor and one nurse were employed. The doctor had to leave after a while, and the church approached Dr. Irene Vitanovska who was a Macedonian doctor, working in Serbia, but married to a local Macedonian. She had been aware of God calling her to a special serving ministry, inspired by Isaiah Ch. 58, and immediately responded positively to the church's request for help.
Again, with no awareness of the impending Kosovan crisis, she had a vision of crowds of people queuing at the clinic's door.
About a month after Dr. Irene started working at the clinic, the Kosovan crisis erupted. The first refugee crossed into Skopje on 1st April 1998, followed by thousands more.
The crisis lasted 7 months, and initially more than 1,000 refugees attended the clinic each month.
The anticipated funding from private patients was not forthcoming because of the huge refugee problem, but financial needs were met by help from abroad.
At the time of the crisis, an Irish doctor, and a local Macedonian doctor, recently converted, joined the lone doctor in the clinic, together with 18 volunteers from the USA, sponsored by a disaster relief fund.
Initially, during the Kosovan crisis, the local population was very critical of the clinic and the refugees who attended it. However, the media heard about, and filmed their work, as it was the only clinic in Macedonia offering free medicine to the poor and to refugees. This brought the clinic into the limelight, and to much acclaim.
Present situation
The clinic is managed by an inter-denominational Board, which consists of eight local Christians who meet regularly.
The clinic is providing primary medical care of very high quality, given the unavoidable restrictions. Currently, in addition to Dr Irene there is one other local Christian doctor (who was converted as a result of the clinic), and two 2 paid nurses. There is one volunteer nurse who is a Serbian and was working in a surgery in Pristina (in Kosovo). She came as a refugee just before the Serbian bombing. She was converted through the witness of the clinic, and she is being funded for one year by an American mission. There is a lab technician and a cleaner, and until recently, a receptionist.
The church hired a building in the centre of Skopje, and completely re-decorated and re-furbished it. It is in a strategic position, being between the Government buildings and the Orthodox church, symbolic of the living faith bridging the gap between government and 'traditional religion'.
The facilities consist of a waiting room, a consulting room, and examination room, and a dispensary.
The Clinic is a God-centred, Bible-based work, deeply committed to meeting the spiritual and physical needs of all ethnic groups and is supported by the local church, which is Christ-centred, visionary and operates in accordance with New Testament patterns.
The Board has a vision for expansion:
Please Pray For:
Macedonia: Some Facts & Figures
Macedonia has 2 million inhabitants.
During the time of the Kosovo crisis, the population of Macedonia was increased by 15% because of the influx of 300,000 refugees, mainly to Skopje. These were- Albanians, Serbians and Gypsies.
Many of the refugees returned home after the crisis, but 30,000 remained, either because they were afraid to go home, or because they had lost families, homes, and work places.
Of the 30,000 remaining refugees, 20,000 are Albanians and 10,000 from other nationalities. The Government tries to portray that there is no refugee problem now.
Most of the Gypsies are in camps, the Albanians are in ghettos but many of the Serbians have been integrated into the community.
At the time of writing, an escalating civil war in Macedonia between the ethnic Albanians already living in the country and the Macedonian and Serb communities has come to an uneasy cease-fire. War and inter-ethnic unrest have become a serious problem for this part of the Balkans.
To contact Ihtus Remedium if you want to support their work in any way, please e-mail Dr Irene Vitanovska at ihtusre@mt.net.mk
The rich would pay private fees, and this would provide the funding for those who could not afford to pay.
At the same time, the church in Sweden caught the vision, and in particular, envisaged the work of the clinic to be associated with refugees. There was no hint at that time of the Kosovan crisis.
Plans for the clinic, called Ihtus Remedium (Jesus the Healer), were initiated and the Swedish Government promised finance for the first year.
Initially one doctor and one nurse were employed. The doctor had to leave after a while, and the church approached Dr. Irene Vitanovska who was a Macedonian doctor, working in Serbia, but married to a local Macedonian. She had been aware of God calling her to a special serving ministry, inspired by Isaiah Ch. 58, and immediately responded positively to the church's request for help.
Again, with no awareness of the impending Kosovan crisis, she had a vision of crowds of people queuing at the clinic's door.
About a month after Dr. Irene started working at the clinic, the Kosovan crisis erupted. The first refugee crossed into Skopje on 1st April 1998, followed by thousands more.
The crisis lasted 7 months, and initially more than 1,000 refugees attended the clinic each month.
The anticipated funding from private patients was not forthcoming because of the huge refugee problem, but financial needs were met by help from abroad.
At the time of the crisis, an Irish doctor, and a local Macedonian doctor, recently converted, joined the lone doctor in the clinic, together with 18 volunteers from the USA, sponsored by a disaster relief fund.
Initially, during the Kosovan crisis, the local population was very critical of the clinic and the refugees who attended it. However, the media heard about, and filmed their work, as it was the only clinic in Macedonia offering free medicine to the poor and to refugees. This brought the clinic into the limelight, and to much acclaim.
Present situation
The clinic is managed by an inter-denominational Board, which consists of eight local Christians who meet regularly.
The clinic is providing primary medical care of very high quality, given the unavoidable restrictions. Currently, in addition to Dr Irene there is one other local Christian doctor (who was converted as a result of the clinic), and two 2 paid nurses. There is one volunteer nurse who is a Serbian and was working in a surgery in Pristina (in Kosovo). She came as a refugee just before the Serbian bombing. She was converted through the witness of the clinic, and she is being funded for one year by an American mission. There is a lab technician and a cleaner, and until recently, a receptionist.
The church hired a building in the centre of Skopje, and completely re-decorated and re-furbished it. It is in a strategic position, being between the Government buildings and the Orthodox church, symbolic of the living faith bridging the gap between government and 'traditional religion'.
The facilities consist of a waiting room, a consulting room, and examination room, and a dispensary.
The Clinic is a God-centred, Bible-based work, deeply committed to meeting the spiritual and physical needs of all ethnic groups and is supported by the local church, which is Christ-centred, visionary and operates in accordance with New Testament patterns.
The Board has a vision for expansion:
- To provide more mobile clinics in Macedonia and into Serbia.
- To purchase a plot of land for building a new clinic which will provide gynaecology, paediatric, dental, and X-Ray facilities.
- To provide a Hospice at Home service.
- The present mobile clinic operates at weekends. The current staff are working long hours, and there is no cover for weekends, sickness or holidays. In order to expand the clinics more staff will be required.
Please Pray For:
- Volunteer doctors and nurses to be sent to give temporary assistance. Any length of time would be valued (even as short as 2 weeks) though adequate time for acclimatisation is preferable. This would enable the present staff to be released for the mobile clinics, and give flexibility for sickness and holidays.
- A doctor with Hospice experience to visit in order to train staff in this speciality.
- Funds to be made available in support of the purchase of medication within Macedonia and the purchase of land for a new clinic.
Macedonia: Some Facts & Figures
Macedonia has 2 million inhabitants.
During the time of the Kosovo crisis, the population of Macedonia was increased by 15% because of the influx of 300,000 refugees, mainly to Skopje. These were- Albanians, Serbians and Gypsies.
Many of the refugees returned home after the crisis, but 30,000 remained, either because they were afraid to go home, or because they had lost families, homes, and work places.
Of the 30,000 remaining refugees, 20,000 are Albanians and 10,000 from other nationalities. The Government tries to portray that there is no refugee problem now.
Most of the Gypsies are in camps, the Albanians are in ghettos but many of the Serbians have been integrated into the community.
At the time of writing, an escalating civil war in Macedonia between the ethnic Albanians already living in the country and the Macedonian and Serb communities has come to an uneasy cease-fire. War and inter-ethnic unrest have become a serious problem for this part of the Balkans.
To contact Ihtus Remedium if you want to support their work in any way, please e-mail Dr Irene Vitanovska at ihtusre@mt.net.mk
