Help Support Palliative Care Patients in Ukraine

The biggest need now for the many patients suffering in Ukraine due to the war is to provide education for the health professionals working in hospice and palliative care programs. WHPCA and partners have initiated online case conferences to teach palliative care. Doctors working in palliative care (often without training) bring their difficult cases to discuss with our world renown palliative medicine experts. The most recent case was a 36 year old Ukrainian soldier severly wounded with head and chest trauma from the war. He was partially paralyzed and in constant pain from his injuries. He was also having psychiatric symptoms from PTSD and his family was distraught. Many strategies were discussed in how to improve his care and relieve his suffering.

One military hospital treats 14,400-36,000 seriously ill patients. There is usually a percentage of patients who successfully undergo rehabilitation and continue their normal lives. However, if you calculate the smallest percentage, for example 5%, then 720-1800 patients will need palliative care per year, from only one hospital. Some of them are in a condition that requires life support systems.

Most palliative care programs in limited resource countries are familiar with caring for cancer patients but the area of managing suffering in those with major injuries is not well known. The trauma of war includes managing polytrauma, post traumatic stress and many psychological issues as well as the physical pain. All these issues and treatments were discussed.

The palliative care experts serve without payment as a service to humanity and in solidarity for the victims, but there are many other costs to help have the conferences and to help our colleagues in Ukraine with special training and equipment they need. The only funding we have for this work is from you through GlobalGiving. Please be generous and help. Kind regards

Links:

• Our website
• Article on case conferences in Ukraine in ehospice

In addition to providing material support for patients and families being cared for by our palliative care colleagues in Ukraine we have started virtual case conferences to provide desperately needed additional education for doctors and other clinicians throughout Ukraine. The first one was attended by over 50 hospice and palliative care sites within Ukraine throughout the country. The case was the very difficult care of a 31 year old woman with advanced cervical cancer, with two young children and a husband. Expert palliative care specialists from the US responded to the case from John Hopkins University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Stonybrook University Hospital. With your support we plan to continue these case conferences and to expand palliative care education in Ukraine, where the need for palliative care for cancer and many other serious illnesses and injuries is great! Thank you!

Links:

• Oour website