Government and public need to join efforts for development of palliative care
On September 26-27, Irpin (Kyiv oblast) hosted the First National Congress on Palliative Care. The event was organized by the Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice Care Development and Ministry of Health of Ukraine with support from Ministry for Social Policy, National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine, P.L. Shupyk National Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education, Institute for Palliative and Hospice Medicine, European Association for Palliative Care and the Public Health Program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The Congress brought together more than 300 experts from Ukraine, the US, Great Britain, Italy, France, Poland, Russia and Belarus – medical and social workers, researchers and heads of public health departments, psychologists and clergy, representatives of international and Ukrainian NGOs, volunteers and others.
According to the Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice Care Development, every year some 1.5-2 million patients and their families need palliative care, which aims to ease patients’ physical suffering and provide them and their families with psychological and spiritual support. The Ukrainian health care system can’t satisfy all these needs due to the lack of specialized institutions, qualified staff and quality pain relief methods.
According to experts, the number of palliative care units and hospices in Ukraine doesn’t meet international standards: in Ukraine there are 7 hospices, 54 palliative care units with a total of 1041 beds, though at least 3,500 are needed. The main problem is lack of financing: there aren’t enough hygienic materials to care for the seriously ill, equipment, and funds to pay medical personnel.
Experts believe that in order to improve the situation, the government and private sector must coordinate and consolidate their efforts, and provide support to NGOs. The experience in Europe, the US, Canada, Israel and Australia demonstrates convincingly that cooperation between the state and public, and financing from the state budget, charitable foundations and private sector brings quality results in the development and access to palliative care.
One result of the Congress was the adoption of the draft National Strategy for Palliative Care Development in Ukraine.
Contacts:
Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice Care Development
(+38 044) 239 72 43
info@ligalife.com.ua
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The mission of the Public Health program is to reform public health, to improve public health through support of new approaches to solution of urgent public health problems, in particular, by introduction of a complex model of protection of the rights of patients, palliative care, and support to people living with HIV/AIDS and non-medical drug use.
