Patient organizations to improve help to communities
Patient voluntary organizations’ role in improving the quality of rendering social and medical assistance to communities.
Yan V. Vlasov – MD, Mikhail Al. Kurapov, Mikhail V. Churakov – PhD
Yan V. Vlasov – MD, Mikhail Al. Kurapov, Mikhail V. Churakov – PhD. Patient voluntary organizations’ role in improving the quality of rendering social and medical assistance to communities.
Organized patient communities (spearheads, voluntary organizations) can be very important in rendering assistance to people with various diseases. In this context, the experience of the All-Russian Public Organization of Disabled People with Multiple Sclerosis (or, All-Russian MS Society – ARMSS) is exemplary. Multiple Sclerosis is a severe chronic disabling disease, from which over 150,000 patients suffer in Russia. This article has endeavored to analyze the performance of the ARMSS over the past ten years and described the major trends of its activities, working methods and achievements. ARMSS’ successful practices have been emphasized: co-organization of patients, activating and combining efforts and resources of social partners to support people with MS, encouraging the social rehabilitation and adaptation of patients, participation in making and implementing the state policy to protect people with MS.
Keywords: voluntary patient organizations, rehabilitation, rehabilitation techniques, multiple sclerosis, protection of the rights of patients, the All-Russian MS Society (ARMSS), Public Council to protect rights of patients.