Lithuanian Red Cross Society

History

Before World War I, a branch of the Russian Red Cross was active in Lithuania, organising courses for nurses. In 1919, the independent Lithuanian Red Cross was established on the joint initiative of Rokas Šliūpas, Jurgis Alekna and Vladas Ingelevičius.

In 1919, it was decided that two Red Cross hospitals should be established in Kaunas and one in Panevėžys, with a further hospital being opened in Klaipėda in 1932. Schools of the Sisters of Mercy were set up in 1919 and 1932, the latter in Klaipėda. In 1922, a laboratory for orthopaedic equipment was opened in Kaunas.

In 1924, the initiative of the Lithuanian Red Cross resulted in the acquisition of the Birštonas spa from private owners, the installation of mud baths, and the construction of sanatoriums. In 1932, the first tuberculosis sanatorium in Lithuania was opened in Aukštoji Panemunė.

In 1934, a blood transfusion facility was opened at the Kaunas Red Cross Hospital, and in 1937, the Kaunas ambulance station was established, with branches in Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Following the outbreak of World War II and the return of Vilnius to Lithuania in 1939, the Red Cross was entrusted with the care of Polish war refugees and interned soldiers, as well as the inhabitants of Vilnius and the Vilnius region. In 1940, a Red Cross hospital, an ambulance station, and a school for the Sisters of Mercy were established in Vilnius.

Chairpersons

The society was chaired by:

• Rokas Šliūpas (1919–1932)
• Aloyzas Petrikas (1932–1938)
• Jurgis Alekna (1938–1940)
• Antanas Garmus (1940–1941)
• Vladas Ingelevičius (1941–1944)
• Vytautas Girdzijauskas (1944–1947)
• Viktoras Brigmanas (1947–1961)
• Vytautas A. Kleiza (1961–1967)
• Danutė Grybauskienė (1967–1984)
• Juozas Šapoka (1984–1994)
• R. Budrys (1994–1996)
• A. Blažys (1996–2004)
• A. Jankus (2004–2008)
• Konstantinas Dobrovolskis (2008–2015)
• Gediminas Almantas (since 2015)

References

References

1. [http://www.ifrc.org/address/lt.asp Directory of the Lithuanian Red Cross Society], titles of department representatives (in English).
2. (1995). "World Disasters Report, 1995". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
3. "Lietuvos Raudonasis Kryžius". LNB [[Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras]].
4. Urbelis, Algimantas. (5 September 2023). "Lietuvos Raudonasis Kryžius". Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras.