Regional Reports
From the UK
Dear colleagues and friends
Some months ago I was interviewed for an Australian radio programme called Rear Vision. I have just learned that the programme was recently broadcast during National Palliative Care Week in Australia.
Here is the link to the audio programme and a transcript. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/rearvision/stories/2009/2576992.htm
It is quite a nice broadcast that might be used for advocacy purposes. It has contributions from Joanne Lynne and Ian Maddocks as well as some material at the start of the program from Dame Cicely Saunders.
I hope this is of interest. Please feel free to pass on the details.
Best wishes,
David Clark
Professor David Clark, PhD
Division of Health Research &
International Observatory on End of Life Care
Alexandra Square
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YT
United Kingdom
From India
Palliative Care Advocacy in India
- A 1550 Km bicycle ride
As we write this, Dr Tom Middlemiss, a British palliative care physician, is half-way through a 1550 Kilometer ride from Trivandrum in Kerala to Mumbai. A bold sign on his bike reads, "Palliative care for all". Assisted by a grant from IAHPC, Tom has been doing voluntary work with Pallium India in Trivandrum for the last 8 months. Having done his MRCP in UK in 2007 and having worked as a palliative care registrar in the UK and in New Zealand, he gave nine months of his life to India.
Tom was rather famous in Trivandrum, particularly because of his practice of riding his gearless “Hero” bicycle to work and back, 40 kilometers every day. Some newspapers and television channels did stories on him. One of them, the Indian Express called him “The Healing Hero”! His contribution to palliative care in South Kerala has been precious.
Before returning to the UK, Tom is spending his last month in India on a bicycle ride from Trivandrum to Mumbai (about 1700 kilometers), to spread the message of palliative care. The Mayor of Trivandrum flagged him off from Trivandrum on 13 June 09. In almost every town he passed in Kerala, palliative care teams received him and celebrated the event. It has been a great tool for advocacy.
Tom’s ride will end with a reception at Gateway of India in Mumbai on 16 July 2009 arranged by Dr M.A.Muckaden and team from Tata Memorial Hospital and several NGOs in Mumbai. We join you in wishing Tom well on his arduous trip!
This piece was written by professor M.R. Rajagopal from Trivandrum,
India and an IAHPC board member
Also from India
Pallium India’s June Newsletter is now published on their website at:
http://www.palliumindia.org/newsletter.htm
Click on the June, 2009 Newsletter to read about “… a report from the Government Opium and Alkaloid Works (GOAW),
the sole agency distributing morphine for domestic consumption.”
There are data on morphine consumption in India from 1998 to 2008 and more.
From Panama
A new presidential decree has been enacted in Panama that eliminates barriers to the availability of, and access to, opioids including those needed for pain relief. This is a major step in improving patient care in the developing world.
Liliana De Lima, Executive Director of IAHPC, stated, “This resulted because of the leadership of Dr. Rosa Buitrago, professor in the Universidad de Panama School of Pharmacy. It was part of her Action Plan developed for Panama as part of her Fellowship in the International Fellowship program at the Pain and Policy Studies Group in the University of Wisconsin. This program is funded by the Open Society Institute, IAHPC serves as an advisor and also was Rosa’s adviser.”
The new decree which is now in force is good news for all patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, not only oncology patients.
The decree recognizes the need for opioids to manage cancer pain as well as for other conditions. In the past, opioids could only be prescribed by oncologists and anesthesiologists in Panama. This decree points out that the previous limits to the dosages and the number of days of prescription are inappropriate and interfere with care.
The changes in the law include:
- The expiration of the prescription is increased from 48 hrs to 5 days
- Maximum days for parenteral dosages of opioids increased from 48 hrs to 5 days. Palliative care, pain, cancer and other specialists may prescribe
for up to 15 days.
- Non-parenteral opioids: The limit of days was increased from 5 days to 15 days for General Practitioners. Palliative care, pain, cancer and other specialists may prescribe for up to 30 days.
Group sessions to educate professionals about this important decree will begin soon. With the help of Dr. Garibaldo, we are planning to have a meeting at the Oncology Institute as a first step.
I express my gratitude to all of you who guided us to reach this important goal that will benefit so many patients in my country. This is a clear example that an Action Plan that is carefully designed and followed with input from experts can end in a positive result. If we consider all the possible difficulties there might have been, we (all of us) celebrate this result in a very short time.
Again, thank you all for this!
Kind regards,
Rosa Buitrago MS
Associate Professor
School of Pharmacy
Universidad de Panama
From Romania
New Developments in Romania
The Romanian NGO “Sfintii Mucenici Iulian si Iuliana” launched this year as a project that concerns the construction of a hospice in Teleorman county of Rommania (80 km from the capital city of Bucharest).
The project targets terminally ill patients suffering from cancer and leukemia.
The treatment we intend to provide our patients is based on interdisciplinary criteria. We will provide for the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of our patients.
We are working very hard to achieve the goal of having this project ready by the end of this year and welcome any collaborators and supporters from the palliative care community who may be interested in participating.
For additional information on this project and how to get involved, contact
Stefan MIHAI
Project Manager
Fundatia Sfintii Mucenici Iulian si Iuliana
Bucharest, sector 6, Timisoara Boulevard , no. 60-62
Phone: (+4) 0751 048 713
[email protected]
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