Palliative Care

Palliative Care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Why is palliative care so important?

Palliative Care is an affordable and an appropriate approach which should be integrated into the continuum of care for people with cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-limiting illnesses. It is of great relevance to people because it:

• Improves the quality of life
• Offers relief from unnecessary pain and suffering 
• Is ideally suited to home based care 
• Empowers the family to care better for their relatives as part of the multi-disciplinary team 
• Helps empower the community to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis and the increasing number of cancer patients 
• Can facilitate access to treatment for acute problems 
• Makes use of affordable and effective drugs 
• Supports and complements anti-retroviral treatment (ART) 
• Stabilises the clinical condition of the very ill and supports them emotionally, freeing carers to return to economic activity 
• Enables people to prepare for death and to die with dignity 

Is concerned with supporting family and carers as well as the patient.