No one, regardless of age, sex, geographical location, socio-economic status should die in pain. Access to Palliative care in Uganda is still a challenge contributing to serious health related suffering with over 300,000 people in need yet not reached. This project aims to extend Palliative care services to villages in three districts of Uganda by supporting trained clinicians to visit patients at home or a site near home. We hope to reach at least 500 cancer patients in a period of 12 months.
The people that need palliative care the most are in the rural community and in the slums of the urban centers. A larger proportion are severely resource constrained and unable to access health facilities. Worse still, cancer contributes to extreme household poverty which limits access to health facilities. As cancer progresses, patients become more bed ridden, unable to go for routine healthcare. Patients with cancer progress further into even greater suffering with pain and more disability.
We get referrals for cancer patients from hospitals, volunteers, other patients and families who know us already. We contact these patients and agree how to meet. The palliative care clinicians prepare a schedule to go and meet these patients at home or at an agreed health center closer to the home. Sometimes, the team see patients in refugee camps and at roadside clinics. Each time we go to see patients in the community, we aim to visit at least 30 cancer patients and provide holistic care.
The project will increase HAU's ability to bring palliative care closer to the communities while helping spread understanding and support for this care. Treatment will reduce symptom burden and enable patients & their families to have peace. Families will further experience respite, reduced health expenditure and improved quality of life. With reduced patient suffering, some caretakers will resume gainful employment, improving the welfare of the patient, family and community.
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