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Message from the Chair
&
Executive Director
Kathleen M. Foley, MD (USA)
Liliana De Lima, MHA (USA)
Dear Readers:
Recent publications highlight the widespread lack of access to essential analgesics:
One such article, Access to Pain Relief – An Essential Human Right?, was published on the 28th September by UK national hospice charity Help the Hospices. In the introduction, the World Health Organization (WHO) describes the lack of access to pain relief in many parts of the world and highlights the fact that cost is not always the main barrier.
The report, which is published to coincide with the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on 6th October (www.worldday.org), states that 80% of the world’s cancer sufferers have no access to analgesics. While the majority of pain can be controlled, an estimated 70% of all people in the world who suffer with cancer pain could be relieved, but they are not. The paper also looks at the incidences of pain and the availability of analgesics with reference to other advanced and terminal diseases including AIDS, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and renal disease. It points out that the majority of the people denied access to pain relief occurs in developing countries where the incidence of pain is also higher. The report showcases the findings of a new survey conducted in 69 hospice and palliative care services in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It draws together disparate sources of information about the state of access to pain relief globally.
The report can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.worldday.org/documents/access_to_pain_relief.pdf
A recent article in The New York Times describes the limited availability of opioid analgesics as well as the cultural barriers to the use, and prescription, of morphine.
This article can also be downloaded from
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/health/14painmsf.html
During this past month, IAHPC awarded the following three Traveling Scholarship grants:
- Dr. Andrew Ang from Manila, Philippines, to attend the second classroom intensive course and clinical attachment course sponsored by the Asia Pacific Hospice Network. Dr Ang is seeking a Diploma in Palliative Care/Graduate Certificate in Health (Palliative Care) jointly by the NCI in Singapore and Flinders University
- Nurse Janet Stanford was awarded a traveling scholarship to support her trip to the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. Ms Stanford reported the findings of her research dissertation on availability of Essential Palliative Care Drugs in South Africa.
- Nurse Esmeralda Pudule was also awarded a traveling scholarship to attend the APCA Conference. Ms Pudule presented a paper on organizational mentorship specifically focused on palliative care.
Congratulations to these three scholars for receiving these grants. We will publish their reports in future newsletters. Additional information about the Traveling Scholarship program can be found in http://www.hospicecare.com/Travellscholars/ as well as the list of all the individuals who have been awarded scholarships since this program started in 1999.
We also want to express our sincere thanks to the Gordon R Irlam Charitable Foundation, and Ms Tracy Irlam, coordinator of their hospice program, for their generous donation in support of the IAHPC Faculty Development Program. The Faculty Development Program was designed to help support the development of teaching positions in academic hospitals and universities in developing countries, and to pay the salary of selected physicians and/or nurses in palliative care for five years (details at: http://www.hospicecare.com/faculty/ ). Donations like this enable us to continue supporting extraordinary efforts by individuals in developing countries who are working very hard to promote and develop hospice and palliative care in their countries. For additional information on how to help us, please go to
https://www.hospicecare.com/give/donate.html
Until next month,
Kathy Foley, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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