Challenges of Hospice and Palliative Care in Nigeria
Introduction
Jessica Ajayi was a vibrant, intelligent, business savvy, wife and mother of three (3) just 6months ago, today; she lies in the hospital bed looking like her exact opposite: frail, weak, thin and generally lacking energy or life. She was diagnosed of Leukemia about a year ago and her health took a turn for the worse. She was in so much pain and discomfort. Alas, it was time to talk about how to make her comfortable till she was longer no more. She was ready, her immediate family was ready, but, the hospital wasn’t quite ready. Turns out, they were not well equipped for that kind of thing. In this paper, issues surrounding inadequacies of Palliative care in Nigeria will be examined.
Health care should be a necessary right for everyone irrespective of age, gender, religious tendency, educational background, social status, and race or color during any illness and especially when nearing the end of life. According to the centre for advance palliative care:
“Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment.”
Hospice care on the other hand shares the same definition with palliative except in hospice care the focus is on caring for and making the patient as comfortable as possible and not finding a cure for the illness the patient presents regardless of what it is.
It is applicable in disease conditions like cancer, stroke, end-stage renal, liver, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Patients generally may suffer physical pains, social, emotional and spiritual
Jessica Ajayi was a vibrant, intelligent, business savvy, wife and mother of three (3) just 6months ago, today; she lies in the hospital bed looking like her exact opposite: frail, weak, thin and generally lacking energy or life. She was diagnosed of Leukemia about a year ago and her health took a turn for the worse. She was in so much pain and discomfort. Alas, it was time to talk about how to make her comfortable till she was longer no more. She was ready, her immediate family was ready, but, the hospital wasn’t quite ready. Turns out, they were not well equipped for that kind of thing. In this paper, issues surrounding inadequacies of Palliative care in Nigeria will be examined.
Health care should be a necessary right for everyone irrespective of age, gender, religious tendency, educational background, social status, and race or color during any illness and especially when nearing the end of life. According to the centre for advance palliative care:
“Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment.”
Hospice care on the other hand shares the same definition with palliative except in hospice care the focus is on caring for and making the patient as comfortable as possible and not finding a cure for the illness the patient presents regardless of what it is.
It is applicable in disease conditions like cancer, stroke, end-stage renal, liver, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Patients generally may suffer physical pains, social, emotional and spiritual
References: Oyebola, F.O. (March, 2013). Death and Dying in Nigeria- A social commentary: Journal of Palliative Medicine Retrieved May 26, 2013 from Seely, J.F., Scott, J.F., Mount, B.M. (1997). The need for specialized training programs in palliative medicine What is palliative care? Centre to Advance palliative care. 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2013 http://www.getpalliativecare.org/whatis/