Palliative care: improving access for the chronically ill

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Extract from the article: Palliative care is active care, delivered in a holistic approach to a person suffering from a serious, progressive or terminal illness. However, the need for palliative care services in Togo continues to grow, as non-communicable diseases are on the

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Palliative care is active care, delivered in a holistic approach to a person suffering from a serious, progressive or terminal illness. However, the need for palliative care services in Togo continues to grow, as non-communicable diseases are on the increase. In Togo, studies have shown that over 33% of patients need palliative care.

Concerned about the importance of palliative care in the management of illnesses, the Fédération Togolaise des associations engagées dans la lutte contre les maladies non transmissibles (FETOL-MNT), the NGOs Organisation Jeunesse pour le Développement Communautaire (ORJEDEC), Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Sante en Afrique (VISA) and Jeunes Intellects pour la Sécurité Alimentaire au Togo (JISA Togo) organised an information and awareness-raising session to mark World Palliative Care Day on 12 October: «Ten years since the resolution: where do we stand? ».

The aim of the meeting is to affirm the desire to make palliative care more accessible in Togo, by explaining the problems that prevent access today. It also aims to raise awareness and understanding of the medical, social, practical and spiritual needs of people living with a terminal illness and their families, and to explain how palliative care can transform people's lives and show how it helps to meet these needs.

The importance of palliative care

Palliative care should not be seen as a last resort, but should wherever possible be integrated into a patient's care pathway at an early stage. «Palliative care plays a crucial role in improving patients' quality of life, well-being, comfort and dignity.This high-performance health service emphasises the need for patients to receive appropriate information, taking into account their personality and culture, about their state of health, as well as their essential role in making decisions about the treatment they receive», explained Akouele Houedakor, Palliative care referral nurse. Moreover, integrating palliative care into health systems is an integral part of achieving universal health coverage (UHC).

In Togo, the NGO ORJEDEC, a pioneer in palliative care in Togo, is working alongside cancer patients to provide them with high-quality holistic care at home and in hospital.  According to Koffi Anoumou Tengue, Executive Director of the NGO ORJEDEC, «this care is interdisciplinary and is aimed at the patient as an individual, their family and close friends, both at home and in institutions. One of the most frequent symptoms of patients in need of palliative care is pain. Palliative care does not treat cancer, but it does relieve the physical pain and other symptoms of the disease.Its aim is to preserve the dignity of the patient and support those around him or her, with a view to preserving the best possible quality of life until death».  ORJEDEC currently supports 40 patients.

Ten years after the resolution: Where do we stand?

Togo now has a palliative care focal point.The government has set up an office that is part of the National Programme to Combat NCDs.  However, «the supply of opioid analgesics, including morphine, to control and relieve pain, and access to specialist palliative care services are obstacles to the integration of palliative care into national health systems and patient care pathways.Another real challenge is the increase in NCDs. We therefore needed to step up prevention and invest in the management of these diseases. There needs to be clear collaboration between doctors and palliative care staff», Dr Damien Ekoue Kouvahey, President of FETOL-MNT.

Advocacy messages were sent to government institutions, partners and all stakeholders to ensure that palliative care needs are placed on the priority agenda of public authorities and development aid organisations. The aim is to make interventions in the field on behalf of patients more effective.

William O.