World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
Argentina
Our week began with an interview with Liliana De Lima on a local radio station which has international coverage over the Internet. On October 1 st, during Pablo Rossi’s Show which is broadcasted every Saturday morning, Liliana explained what palliative care is and announced the beginning of our activities with the “Psychology and Pain Symposium”, given by Lic. Ana María Corrao and organized with Cordoba ’s Catholic University Medicine School.
During the days that followed, our presence in the media was increased due to the comments made by a well known and influential journalist, Rebecca Bortoletto both on radio and on TV. A film was made of our foundation’s home, where we plan on organizing a Day Hospice and our message as well as our request for help was aired on TV.
The inauguration ceremony of our house on Friday, October 7 th was attended by many friends and businessmen who showed their will to help.
On Saturday 8 th, we ended all these activities with the local version of Voices for Hospices – the fourth time we participated in this world event. It was truly a beautiful evening, and four choirs gave life to a show. Haendel’s Messiah Alleluia finished with a standing audience and a warm and thankful applause.
The echoes of the week continued on October 17 th, the international day against pain. On this day, the largest newspaper in town, La Voz del Interior, published the results of a survey in Cordoba made by the local association against pain. We thank IAHPC for its support, which allowed us to do advocacy work and dissemination of hospice and palliative care principles.
Maria de los Angeles Pruvost
Fundacion Contigo
Cordoba , Argentina
India
A report from the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi , Kerala , India
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2005
Programs in Schools
The Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi is conducting a competition in three prominent schools in the city where senior students will participate in three competitions: 1) a ‘slogan - towards a pain free world’, 2) a ‘poster on- cancer related suffering’ and 3) an ‘essay on how students can contribute to caring for people suffering from incurable diseases’.
The staff from the department will also address the students of these schools about what palliative care is and how it can help people suffering from incurable illnesses.
The staff from the department will also have an interactive session with the teachers of these schools to equip them with the necessary information about palliative care.
Leaflets on palliative care and frequently asked questions about palliative care will also be distributed at the schools so that the message of palliative care day also reaches the homes from where the students come from.
Programs with ‘Kudumbasree’
Kudumbasree is a multi-faceted, women based, participatory, poverty eradication program, jointly initiated by the Government of Kerala and NABARD.
The department is conducting an essay writing competition on ‘how the community can care for the terminally ill’, among the members of the local units of Kudumbasree.
Programs in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
In connection with the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, a Gold Medal Examination (Amrita Gold Medal in Pain and Palliative Medicine- supported by The Bruce Davis Trust) was conducted for the 4 th year medical students. A certificate of merit will be issued to all those who passed the examination and the topper will receive the gold medal.
A leaflet on Palliative Care Day issued by the Indian Association of Palliative Care will be distributed to all the departments [clinical and non-clinical] in the institution.
Programs by Consortium of Pain and Palliative Care Units in Ernakulam District
The eleven Pain and Palliative Care units active in Ernakulam district [which also includes the Corporation of Kochi] form the consortium. In connection with the World Palliative Care day the Consortium is organizing an All Kerala Workshop in Palliative Care on 8 th & 9 th October 2005. Scientific sessions on ‘Home Care’, ‘Rehabilitation’ and ‘Palliation for HIV infected’ are the highlights of the workshop. It is open to doctors, nurses, social workers and volunteers interested in palliative care.
The winners of the competitions conducted among the school students and members of the Kudumbasree units, by the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi , will be honored with prizes during the workshop.
‘Pallium India’ a non-governmental organization, which supports and promotes various palliative care initiatives and activities at the local, state and national level, in collaboration with the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, is promoting a young man with paraplegia. This young man sings well and the department is arranging for an orchestra for him to sing at the workshop. It is hoped that this will encourage him to take to singing as a profession and some day he may have his own show. This could also be a live demonstration of how palliative care can provide rehabilitation, which is the subject of one of the scientific sessions.
Compiled by Dr. Biju Raghavan, Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine,
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi 682026, Kerala , India .
Uruguay
Día Mundial de los Cuidados Paliativos
Eduardo García Yanneo, MD
Palliative Care Program
Hospital de Clinicas
Montevideo
Uruguay
As in several other countries, we celebrated the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 8th which was a success in many ways.
The event in Montevideo was organizad by the Sociedad Uruguaya de Medicina y Cuidados Paliativos, with the support and help of the volunteer group “Damas Rosadas” from the Hospital Clinicas. We also had the support from the IAHPC, which was not only an honor and a recogntion, but a signficant help that facilitated the organization of the event.
We had a beatiful day in explanada de la Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo (located in the main avenue in the city). The event started with the Interior Minister of Health, Dr. Fernández Galeano, followed by the Director of the Nacional Cancer Control Program, Dr. Ignacio Musé, and finaly, the President of the Sociedad Uruguaya de Medicina y Cuidados Paliativos, Dr. Roberto Levin.
After this introduction, we carried on with the artistic activities which included singers, a Tango Grop “Gardeleando”, a music group from the Hospital de Clinicas and a group of flamenco dancers.
Tango group.
After all these activities, we read the declaration of the World Health Organization and freed several piegeons ending this wonderful day. The main objective of the event was to disemínate palliative care information among the community. During the event and the day, brochures explaning the WHPCD were distributed, which included the Rights of Terminal Patients and the WHO definition of palliative care.
Algunos de los integrantes del grupo organizador al finalizar al acto.
Several activities were also carried out to celebrate WHPCD in other areas including Carmelo and San Jose. We are certain this has generated additional enthusiasm and that this will lead to greater knowledge about hospice and palliative care in Uruguay.
Philippines
WORLD HOSPICE DAY CELEBRATION IN
ILOILO CITY , PHILIPPINES
Dr. Annabelle De Guzman President, Hospice and Family Care Foundation
Iloilo City, Philippines
On October 8. 2005, the Hospice and Family Care Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. held a city wide motorcade in the early hours of the morning. Fifteen cars participated; all were adorned with streamers and balloons. The mortorcade was led by two trucks filled with drummers, harpists and lyre players. The instrumentalists were students from the Manduriao City High School’s band. This attracted attention to the large streamers that announced World Hospice Day in Iloilo City. Thus the public was informed that this was a big day in the city.
Around 8:00 am, after the motorcade began at the Western Visayas Medical Center, people flocked to the rooftop of the supply and maintenance building of the Hospital to start the program for the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. Those invited were local media, hospital personnel, government officials, businessmen and students. Around 200 people were present at this event. Most significant was the presence of the Governor’s representative who pledged to give 100,000 PhP in support of the program. He served as the inspirational speaker for that morning’s celebration. He also invited the public to celebrate Hospice Day next year at the Provincial Capitol (the White House of our province), and invited the public to create awareness about the program. After his speech, many testified about their involvement in Hospice Care, including patients, which brought tears to the eyes of many. Two clergy men, a priest and a gospel minister, appealed for people to donate funds and services to the program. Those who responded to the appeal were Mrs. Maggie Hofilena, herself a breast cancer survivor, pledged 10,000 PhP, Mrs. Nelly Obligacion, a philantrophist, pledged another 10,000 and a cancer support group, The Bosom Frineds, pledged another 10,000. Afterwards, offering plates were passed around and another 4,000 PhP were collected.
To cap the day, a sumptuous lunch prepared by the Foundation was given to the participants. To their delight, medical students including post-graduate medical interns rendered special numbers. All those who attended were also given tokens of their visit and participation. Everyone thought it was worthwhile to attend such a memorable and touching event. The whole event was covered live by the ABS/CBN network, channel 10, and broadcasted to the public. The next day, two local dailies covered the event on their feature and news portions of the newspaper.
As a result of the celebration, an art aficionado has volunteered to give 20% of the proceeds from his next art exhibit and he will paint a memorabilia for the Hospice Program in Iloilo City. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has also promised to look into the possibility of increasing their support and grant to the ongoing construction of the Hospice and Family Care Center, a 3- story, 60 bed center for the terminally ill, in Iloilo City. This is a first for Iloilo City and a first also for the whole of The Philippines.
Lithuania
Activities during World Hospice and Palliative Care Day In Lithuania :
1. A conference took place on the 6th of October. There were about 500 participants - physicians, nurses, social workers and a few priests.
2. On the 7th of October there was a meeting of Palliative Medicine Association of Lithuania. There were about 60 participants. Among the guests were representatives from Parliament, Government, Manucipality, and the Archbishopric.
3. On the 9th of October, in Opera House of Kaunas, "La Traviata" was performed and dedicated to Palliative Care Day. There were about 400 spectators.
4. The members of Palliative Medicine Association of Lithuania talked on the radio and TV.
5. Articles about palliative care were published in the media.
6. We published a book on our 10 year history of the Palliative Medicine Association in Lithuania .
Best regards,
Arvydas
Jordan
Not only is Dr. Mohammad Bushnaq, our first international palliative medicine fellow at San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, he is striving, along with a growing interdisciplinary team, to integrate palliative care into King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC). The Center now sees more than 60 new patients per month and provides care in all settings including the home. The KHCC team is also striving to expand the implementation of palliative care across Jordan through increased public awareness during World Palliative Care Week.
I understand they had great attendance!
The King Hussein Cancer Centre in Jordan held workshops and seminars for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day.
On 8 October a seminar titled "holistic approach of palliative care" was given by a palliative care physician, a psychiatrist, and a chaplain. The goal was to increase public awareness of palliative care with the public being the target group.
On 9 October an Executive committee meeting and workshop was held.
The goal was to come up with national guidelines to build palliative care programs in Jordan . The target for this effort was the palliative care committee, minister of health, directors of major hospitals, deans of medical and nursing schools, and decision makers.
October 10 there was a seminar on "building palliative care in Jordan "
The goal was to increase awareness of health care workers about palliative care, and deliver the principles of palliative care to the target audience of physicians, nurses and pharmacists.
Please join me in congratulating the entire team at King Hussein Cancer Center on their ever expanding successes in Jordan!
PS. We look forward to having Mohammad back with us for another month of training in February 2006.
We are also looking forward to having our second fellow from KHCC, Dr. Hasan Abbas, join us in January 2006 to start his fellowship training in palliative medicine.
Thanks,
Frank D. Ferris , MD
Medical Director, Palliative Care Standards / Outcome Measures
San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care
4311 Third Avenue San Diego , CA , USA 92103-1407
Colombia
Marta Ximena Leon, MD
Professor Palliative Care
Universidad de la Sabana
Bogota , Colombia
For the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day in Colombia , we organized events in six cities in the country: Bogotá, Cali , Medellin , Barranquilla , Cartagena and Bucaramanga . We are very appreciative of a grant received from IAHPC to help in this effort. In each city we had academic seminars and cultural events. Between 150 and 300 persons attended the seminars, including doctors, nurses, sociologists, social workers, students, patients, ethics committees and the general community.
In Bogotá, the National Secretary of Health participated and as a result some important steps have been taken towards the elimination of regulatory barriers in the use and prescription of opioids by extending the validity of the prescription of potent opioids from 10 to 30 days. Also, we are currently working on the inclusion of different opioids in the Health System so they are provided directly to public hospitals without having to go through the administrative offices at the regional governments. In addition, the local secretary of health and two senators participated in the meeting in Cali and several outcomes resulted from their participation including a program to establish palliative care as part of the network in the local health care system.
We also organized a children’s art contest for a National Poster to celebrate World Hospice and Palliative Care Day among children with HIV and Cancer. We received more than 100 drawings from children in Bogotá, Cali and Medellin and funds were raised from a private foundation for the prizes. In addition, we had movie forums, art exhibitions, painting contests, writing contests and musical sessions.
The event was widely covered by the local, regional and national media through newspapers, radio and television. A manuscript is now being prepared with a summary of all the events that took place in the country and a plan of action to promote palliative care in the country.
The pictures here show some of the activities during the painting session of a wall with patients and health care providers and medical students who are in the palliative care module. The picture of the two girls show the winner of the art contest - she is holding the big check with her sister. Brenda Nicole, the small girl dressed in pink, is a patient of the National Cancer Institute in Bogota and made the painting that was the Poster for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day and can be seen behind them.
We are very grateful with IAHPC for supporting Colombia in the celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. We also thank all those who participated in the activities, including health care workers, patients and volunteers and to the coordinators in each one of the different cities around the country who worked tirelessly to make this a great event.
European Association for Palliative Care and Hodder Arnold announce free online access to Palliative Medicine until January 2006.
Dear Colleague,
In occasion of the first World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPC Day) (8th October 2005), Hodder Arnold and the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) have the pleasure to announce that Volume 19 of Palliative Medicine is available online free of charge until the end of January 2006.
To take advantage of this exciting offer, please visit www.ingentaconnect.com/content/arn/pm
Best regards,
Geoffrey Hanks
Editor in Chief - Palliative Medicine
Marilène Filbet
EAPC President
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