Abstract

PALLIATIVE CARE SUPPORT FOR CANCER PATIENTS: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY SHORT COMMUNICATION

Auwalu Ibrahim*, Abdul’aziz Bawa Umar, Adamu U. Bulakarima, Dr. Jalaluddin Alakozai

ABSTRACT

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) publication Medline Plus, palliative care is "treatment targeted at keeping you comfortable and free of discomfort." Curative treatment, on the other hand, is intended to address your medical condition, according to Merriam-medical Webster's vocabulary. While treating your condition, your health-care experts may provide you with palliative care. Hospital care, on the other hand, usually slowly provides palliative care. As per the 2014 WHO Global Atlas of Palliative Care, palliative care services are in low supply around the world, with the most of unmet demand happening in low- and middle-income countries. There are significant discrepancies in palliative care access in India, with the majority of services provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dispersed across the country. Lack of financial resources, a scarcity of qualified people, and a concentration on curative rather than comfort care are all obstacles to increasing palliative care services in India, as they are in many other low- and middle-income nations. The objective of this work is to describe a palliative care strategy employed by Can Support, within Delhi-based non-governmental organization founded since 1996. Additionally they provide home-based services through multidisciplinary teams that include a palliative care physician, nurse, as well as social worker.

Keywords: Palliative care, Suffering, Cancer, Patients and National Institute of Health (NIH).