18m people require Hospic, palliative care each year, says HPCAN
Hospic and Palliative Care Association of Nigerian (HPCAN) says 18 million people require Hospic and palliative care at the end of each year in the world.
Speaking during the tenth annual meeting of Hospic and Palliative Care Association of Nigeria (HPCAN) in Umuahia, recently, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, who disclosed this, stated that about 18 million people die annually across the world due to this unnecessary pain and distress which has affected the health and well-being of their family members.
With the aging population and the rise in the incidence of non-communicable disease across the world, these figures, Adewole said, are increasing while the response to it is not keeping pace.
Represented by the Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, Dr. Abali Chuku, the minister said that members of the association are involved in drafting the national policy for controlled medicines and its implementation strategies in collaboration with the United Nations office on drugs and crime with European Union, pointing out that palliative care experts which includes HPCAN, have been involved in drafting the National Cancer Control Policy Document (2018-2022) which is almost ready to be unveiled.
He assured that his ministry will continue in the development of palliative care services in all the key areas, stressing that they intend to enhance the quality of palliative care services across different care settings.
Earlier, the HPCAN President, Dr. Otene Samuel, noted that the association has grown since it came into being in 2007 with hundreds of members scattered across all the six geopolitical zones of the country, stating that with its growth, the association is now faced with a challenge which is how to coordinate its members properly.
It is only when palliative care occupies its rightful place with regards to budgetary allocations at all levels in government that we can really begin to make the impact we crave for”, he said, disclosing that they are working hard to ensure that palliative care is put on the curriculum in tertiary institutions, adding that the process may seem slow, “but we have to keep our eyes on the target goal.
The HPCAN boss expressed the association’s readiness to partner Federal Ministry of Health to champion its agenda towards palliative care in the country and urged the ministry to see them as partners in progress in the noble cause.
