Rwandan Dr. Christian Ntizimira, currently enrolled in Harvard Medical School’s Department in Global Health and Social Medicine, received a Traveling Scholarship to attend the 4ème Congrès International de Soins Palliatifs, which selected his poster titled ‘Les Soins Palliatifs dans le système de santé publique: Les leçons apprises de l’hôpital pionnier au Rwanda (Hôpital de Kibagabaga).’ This is his report from that November 2017 congress, which was held in Geneva.
This was the first palliative care congress I attended since starting my program. The speakers I listened to, and my interactions with African palliative care providers, taught me how they address the critical need for palliative care in francophone countries such as Rwanda. I now have a bank of information — shared experiences, challenges, opportunities, and best practices — supplied by my peers.
I also represented our local organization, Rwanda Palliative Care and Hospice Organization, which is a non-profit group located in Kigali that became the member of the Fédération Francophone Internationale de Soins Palliatifs in November. It gave me a platform for exchanging experiences with participants from the African continent, essential to understanding the different perspectives of Rwanda’s francophone neighbors. I expect that the information, contacts, and knowledge gained during the congress will benefit my daily practice in the provision of palliative care in Rwanda.
My gratitude goes to the IAHPC for this Traveling Scholarship, which gave me an invaluable opportunity to meet with different experts in palliative care from francophone countries in Africa, but also to travel to a different location to learn and exchange experiences in palliative care.
The implementation of palliative care is a global health challenge, which has implications not only for health systems but varied layers of our society. Millions of patients, especially in low- and middle-income countries, experience unnecessary suffering and pain without access to morphine. The enhanced WHO public health model provides an effective strategy for integrating palliative care in all African countries. It is up to my generation of health care providers to offer patients this multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach in Africa.
Death is a reality of the medical profession, but pain doesn't have to be.
To find out more about IAHPC’s Program Support Grants, and our Traveling Scholarships and Traveling Fellowships, please visit our website. Through these programs we support projects and individuals around the world, especially in developing countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
You can contribute to this program and help palliative care workers attend and participate in congresses and courses by donating to the Traveling Scholarships Campaign in the Global Giving website.
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