News

The oldest rural hospital in Lithuania, Joniškėlis Hospital of Pasvalys District, celebrates its 200-year anniversary.Established by the local noble family Karpiai 200 years ago, the hospital will bear the name of a hospital doctor Jonas Leonas Petkevičius, who worked there together with his daughter, famous Lithuanian writer Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė.

For many years Joniškėlis Hospital was supervised by Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine.

"The best doctors were invited to work here. They did what was best available in our country at that time," says the Dean of the University Medical Faculty, Zita Aušrelė Kučinskienė.

The hospital had faced the prospect of being closed down some three years ago but survived, mainly thanks to the protests of local people.

"The Joniškėlis community rose up against the proposed closure of the local hospital and collected nearly one thousand signatures to save it. The truth prevailed," remembers former citizen of Joniškėlis Romasis Vaitiekūnas.

In the end, Joniskelis Hospital was integrated into Pasvalys District Hospital and has undergone major renovation.  Now it operates a day center, as well as a palliative care and nursing department. The hospital can receive up to 26 patients.

Source: lrt.lt