Inside View by Olena Riga – Professor, Center of Palliative Medicine, Kharkiv National Medical University
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Russian criminals continue propaganda among their population – they dress their children in military uniforms, instill hatred in them, threaten death to many countries, continue to steal Ukrainian children and kill …
At the same time, we feel the incomparable strength and unflagging support of the civilized world. This support is not only military. This support is humanitarian, methodological, spiritual.
Ukraine belongs in the LMIC countries. Working with people with incurable diseases, throughout the 450 days of Russian aggression against Ukraine, we see how our hospices and hospitals were equipped with the latest Western technologies and equipment, clinical nutrition, medicines, and consumables. The world does not stop supporting us. A very large contribution to advocacy, informational, methodological, material and targeted assistance to patients who need palliative care in Ukraine and those who were evacuated to other countries was made by our colleagues from the WHPCA, ICPCN, PALLCHASE and many others.
Work continues on the development of palliative care at the national level:
- the state finances packages of medical guarantees for palliative care for adults and children;
- Approved standard and protocols for pain management;
- Consider protocols for providing end-of-life service;
- a national congress on palliative care is being prepared;
- hospices and mobile teams working;
- improving the digitalization of palliative care.
Yes, there are many people in the World who require palliative care in humanitarian crisis settings. Through collaboration with WHPCA, ICPCN, PALLCHASE there is an understanding that we still need telemedicine and regional programmes, building effective partnerships with international organisations, raising community awareness, transparent statistics and high-quality analysis and audit of the Status Quo in palliative care, specialist training and education in basic palliative care.
Many more challenges lie ahead – wounded and orphaned children, wounded soldiers, deficient medical care and palliative care.
Still ahead Victory and restoration of the country!
The construction of a network of palliative care with all its basic principles of the most humane approach to a person is still ahead!
#StopWarinUkraine