Bratislava played host to the Global TB Caucus’ European Summit, attended by 22 Parliamentarians from Europe and Central Asia and various experts in the field of TB from 22-24 June 2016. There were three representatives from the UK Parliament – Baroness Suttie, Virendra Sharma MP, and The Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP. Depaul International and Depaul Slovensko staff participated in the summit.
On the Friday evening the UK’s Ambassador to Slovakia, Andy Garth, held a reception for the group at the British Embassy. On Saturday morning the delegation visited a TB clinic to see at first hand treatment for patients. They then visited Depaul Slovensko’s St Vincent’s nightshelter, where Director Juraj Barat and his team conducted a tour and answered questions raised by the delegation about the shelter, homelessness in Slovakia, and the resulting health issues of many of the clients they support at the shelter.
Co-chairmen of the Eurasian Parliamentary Group, Stephan Albani, Member of the German Bundestag, and Dr George Khechinashvili MP, Member of the Parliament of Georgia, expressed their appreciation in a letter to Juraj Barat: “We were deeply impressed by the service [at St Vincent’s Shelter] that you and your team provide to some of the most vulnerable people in society, and are very grateful that you and the team gave up your weekend to accommodate us. Many of our colleagues mentioned later in the weekend how impressed they were by your facilities, and how moved they were by the visit.”
