World hospice and palliative care day: dignitiy in end of lifecare

This article was exclusively written for European Sting by Ms. Atud Maiva Akom, a third year bilingual medical student in the Higher Institute of Medical Technology Nkolondom. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

World Hospice and Palliaive Care Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of October wasestablished by the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WVHPCA) in 2005. It is a day that aims torecognize and celebrate the crucial role of hospice and palliative care in providing relief,comfort and supportto individualswith serious illnesses by raising awareness of its importance and promoting its accessibilityworldwide.

Palliative care is care given to improve the quality and help reduce pain in people with serious or livethreatening disease such as cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders. Palliative care is focused onenhancing the physical, emotional and social well-being of the patient. It also focuses on providing emotionaland spiritual support to patients and their families. The goal of palliative care is to prevent or treat as earlyas possible the symptoms of the disease and the side effects caused by treatment of the disease.

Dignity in end-of-life care involves respecting a person’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs,privacy, andwishes while allowing the patient to make choices regarding their care and maintain control over their finaldays through open, honest and clear communication. It involes ensuring that they are treated as a wholeperson not just a patient with an illness. In order to achieve this there is need for both verbal and non-verbalcommunication and ensuring that the patient feels informed about their health status and care plan.

Palliative care is a critical component of healthcare, and statistics show that a significant number ofindividuals worldwide will benefit from it but many do not receive the care they need. The World HealthOrganisation(WHO) estimates that only 14% of 73 million adults and children needing palliative care eachyear receive it .Some 20million people die every year in pain and suffering due to lack of access to palliativecare and pain relief.

Everybody deserves the best care possible no matter who they are, their origin and where they live in theWorld. The number of people dyeing while suffering and in pain due to lack of Palliative care can be reducedby educating communities about its benefits, training both local health care providers and professionals inpalliative care through conferences, workshops and training sessions and webinars. Governments need to develop national policies and strategies that incorporate palliative care into their health systems.

Furthermore, we can also provide resources to help families and caregivers of patients with life threatening illnesses.We can  support families emotionally through palliative care support groups where they will be able to share their experiences with other families going through the same difficulty and comfort each other.

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a vital opportunity to raise awareness and mobilise support for palliative care from communities and governments worldwide. It is a day to remind ourselves of Dignity inend-of-life care, console and sympathize with patients and caregivers worldwide.

About the author

Atud Maiva Akom is a third year bilingual medical student in the Higher Institute of Medical Technology Nkolondom. She is a member of the Cameroon Medical Students Association (CAMSA) and a member of the Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE). She has volunteered in the Hospital Center and University of Yaoundé in the intensive care unit taking care of people with serious illnesses. She is a motivated medical student who believes that Palliative Care goes beyond just caring for patients but it is about helping them rest without pain and suffering.