Fulfilment of spiritual and religious needs in modern healthcare in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Health services and their institutions are rarely seen as places where “soft” cultural matters have importance. The classical European paradigm of evidence-based medicine perceives human beings from a biological rather than a spiritual perspective. However, challenges in contemporary Europe (and also in the whole world) show us that we cannot ignore religious differences in any kinds of public spaces. Eastern European countries have lost their monoreligious character, and there is a growing number of patients from different cultures and religious traditions. Western European countries that face mass refugee movements also need to adapt their health services to the religious demands of both foreign and domestic patients (including those with acquired citizenship). It is a significant challenge to the legal system as well, with a growing need for structural and systemic solutions. The academic education of future health service specialists should, meanwhile, be adjusted in line with these factors and include more courses on interreligious communication, bearing in mind the lack of proper handbooks for these professions in the Eastern European area at least.