Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):110-115 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3707

Volunteering and Mutual Aid in Health and Social Care in the Czech Republic as an Example of Active Citizenship

Eva Křížová
Department of Medical Ethics and Humanities, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic

This article informs about recent research findings on voluntary and mutual aid in the Czech Republic with a special attention paid to formal volunteering in health and social care. The data suggest that public involvement is comparable to middle-frequency experienced in European countries. In this respect, volunteering is higher in the Czech Republic than in other former Eastern European countries and is an evidence of a successful and rapid restoration of the civic sector. New patterns of volunteering featured by planning, coordination, and contracting have spread out being strongly supported by national and EU policy measures. Managerial patterns of volunteering are dominating in health and social care institutions. Volunteering in health and social care is firmly motivated by emotional altruism; however, reciprocal (instrumental) and normative motivations are also present, though to a lesser extent compared to other sectors of volunteer activities. In the managerial pattern of volunteering altruism is balanced with personal gains and benefits for those who volunteer. Volunteering is deeply embedded in a civic, humanitarian paradigm instead of a religious faith and duty.

Keywords: civic sector, health and social services, formal and informal volunteering, altruism, motivation

Received: July 19, 2011; Revised: February 27, 2012; Accepted: February 27, 2012; Published: June 1, 2012  Show citation

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Křížová E. Volunteering and Mutual Aid in Health and Social Care in the Czech Republic as an Example of Active Citizenship. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2012;20(2):110-115. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a3707. PubMed PMID: 22966733.
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