Palliative care is a human right (original) (raw)

Various Aspects of Palliative Care in Bangladesh

Archives in Cancer Research, 2016

Palliative care ('palliative' approaches from the Latin 'pallium' meaning cloak) is several form of medical care and multidisciplinary approach that focuses on reducing severity of symptoms of diseases rather than delay progression of the disease itself or provide cure. Palliative care is all about accomplishing the possible highest quality of life (QOL) and promoting relieve and dignity for patients whose are suffering with incurable and life limiting diseases. The aspects of the palliative care in Bangladesh concern the matters of concentrating on the rights of the patients in getting release from sufferings of all kinds (physical, psychological, social and spiritual).

REFLECTIONS ON THE RIGHT TO PALLIATIVE CARE IN BANGLADESH: LEGAL REGIME REVISITED

Patients with life-limiting illness and their families face many problems and complexities. The gravity of such problem is often escalated with the fact of the patients' deprivation of the proper care as a corollary to their fundamental health rights. The legal aspects of the palliative care thus concern the issues of concentrating more on the rights of the patients in getting relief from sufferings of all kinds, physical, psychological and spiritual. As such, it may include the opportunity of getting legal interventions not only in the way of claiming the protection of palliative care (such as securing access to health and social benefits) but also in the face of dealing with other life-transactions of the patients and their families (such as protecting and disposing of property; planning for children and other dependents).

A home-based palliative care pilot project for the patients and families with incurable diseases in Bangladesh

BIRDEM Medical Journal, 2021

Background: Home-based palliative care (HPC) is a community-based palliative care approach with various advantages over institutional care like comprehensive care at patient’s known comfortable environment. This study aims at describing a pilot HPC program. Methods: A 3-year pilot project was implemented by Centre for Palliative Care (CPC) of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, supported by the Ministry of Education. At the end of the project period the team attempted a survey to capture a picture of HPC recipients, of their suffering and their needs and to assess as to what extent these needs can be met in the best possible way with the present strategy. A total of 34 patients and their caregivers were interviewed over telephone about receiving homecare. An attempt was taken to compare with the patients who used to get conventional care along with an access to the 24/7 telephone care service. Results: A total of 1634 home visits were made to 338 ...

Solidarity and Suffering: Patients and their Caregiver's Experiences Enrolled in the Community-Based Palliative Care Program in an Urban Slum of Bangladesh

2020

Background: Palliative care has been recognized as a global health challenge. Although access has increased, there is very low recognition of the importance of palliative care in low and middle-income countries. In Bangladesh, institutional palliative care is not accessible due to a lack of awareness, financial constraints, and fewer facilities. Hence, there needs to be a better understanding of how to provide and improve existing community-based palliative care. This study aimed to explore the experiences of palliative patients and their primary caregivers enrolled in the palliative care project “Momotamoy Korail” run by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in an urban slum of Dhaka.Methods: A focused ethnography was conducted where observation and nineteen in-depth interviews were carried out using semi-structured guidelines with the palliative care patients and their primary caregivers. Results: In a family, mostly wives and daughters-in-law are the primary caregivers. The...

Palliative care in Pakistan

Indian journal of medical ethics, 2016

Pakistan is a developing country of South East Asia, with all the incumbent difficulties currently being faced by the region. Insufficient public healthcare facilities, poorly regulated private health sector, low budgetary allocation for health, improper priority setting while allocating limited resources, have resulted essentially in an absence of palliative care from the healthcare scene. Almost 90% of healthcare expenditure is out of the patient's pocket with more than 45% of population living below the poverty line. All these factors have a collective potential to translate into an end-of-life care disaster as a large percentage of population is suffering from chronic debilitating/terminal diseases. So far, such a disaster has not materialised, the reason being a family based culture emphasising the care of the sick and old at home, supported by religious teachings. This culture is not limited to Pakistan but subsists in the entire sub-continent, where looking after the sick...

Twenty-first century palliative care: a tale of four nations

European Journal of Cancer Care, 2013

Twenty-first century palliative care: a tale of four nations Hospice and palliative care development, in terms of availability and services, occur to varying degrees in the developing world. In this paper, the evolution of palliative care practices in four developing nations (Nigeria, Georgia, Ethiopia and Tanzania) is described. By highlighting common problems as well as the unique individual perspectives of each country's practice, this paper aims at increasing global awareness of palliative care in the developing world. While the call for palliative care to become a fundamental human right is sustained, it is also hoped that this article will stimulate a global discussion on the best possible way to encourage the establishment and growth of palliative care services in other developing countries where hitherto it has not been in existence, with policymakers and healthcare professionals taking the lead through the institution of sound national policies to promote and provide palliative care to all citizenry.

Palliative Care: A Public Health Priority in Developing Countries

Journal of Public Health Policy, 2007

Palliative care is an emerging specialist discipline worldwide with the majority of services located in developed countries. Developing countries, however, have higher incidences of cancer and AIDS and most of these patients would benefit from palliative care. While there is prominent coverage of this issue in the palliative care literature, there is limited coverage in the specialist public health literature, which suggests that the challenges of palliative care may not yet have been generally recognized as a public health priority, particularly in developing countries. The aim of this article is to introduce the topic of ''Palliative care in developing countries'' into the specialist public health literature to raise awareness and stimulate debate on this issue among public health professionals and health policy makers, thereby potentially facilitating establishment of palliative care services in developing countries.