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Palliative Care Commitments from Georgia, Romania, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the US

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LIVESTRONG announced commitments in palliative care (pain management) from Africa, Eastern Europe and the United States as part of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign. Each of these commitments is breaking new ground and setting better standards of care in their respective countries by educating healthcare professionals, improving access to medication and taking action to eliminate the stigma that surrounds this disease.

The Palliative Care Association ?Humanists’ Union? in Tbilisi, Georgia aims to expand the knowledge of palliative care among medical personnel, remove the stigma associated with pain medicine through education and improve the circulation and supply of painkillers. By establishing internationally recognized standards for palliative care, they will balance medical, legal, bioethical and human rights of chronic, incurable cancer patients.

Romania’s Hospice Casa Sperantei will fund palliative care research in oncology departments throughout Eastern Europe; educate doctors and nurses in oncology units in the correct way to approach a patient in pain and adopt a national budget line item exclusively for palliative care for organizing and funding services.

The Shepherd?s Hospice in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is working together with the Sierra Leone Palliative Care Association and other health service providers to ensure every cancer patient in pain has access to palliative care by 2020.

The Cairdeas Trust is working towards developing the first university training program for palliative care in Africa to train medical students, nurses and other healthcare providers, as well as establishing a Bachelor of Science degree in palliative care. The program will offer pain control models to 1,000 nationally referred hospitals and cancer clinics.

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage, Alaska, is committed to ensuring that the Comprehensive Cancer Plan for the Alaska Tribal Health System adequately represents indigenous populations and is focused on reducing training costs while spreading access to palliative care experts in Alaska.

For more information about these commitments and others, go to www.livestrong.org/global

  • barbara johnson

    Sadly, the US will have to have a palliative care committment, because under President Obama’s health care plan, treatment to even young cancer patients will be discontinued, rationed, or too late to make a difference. Only the rich will be able to afford private pay options,as they deserve. They earned it and pay high taxes to cover others. The very poor will receive care, as their rights are recognized and enforced. How sad for many productive, exemplary, but unfortunate members of a once Great Society.

  • http://livestrong.org Brooke McMillan (LAF Staff)

    Barbara- We do have a Palliative Care Commitment in the US, but more needs to be done. That is why we have this commitment from the US organization. LIVESTRONG is also a big proponent of palliative care. To read more about our funding of palliative care programs go to http://xrl.us/be87kk and our national partnerships with EPEC-O and Pain and Policy Studies Group http://xrl.us/be87kg

  • Matt Busiek

    The Lance Armstrong Foundation needs to turn more focus to the United States. How can I contribute money to Lance Armstrong when President’s Obama health care plan when the foundation continues to refuse to show opposition to the plan. We will no longer have the great health care we have today for cancer patients. Lance needs to support Americans and cancer care in the United States and come out officially against President Obama’s plan. This will be a disaster for cancer and a disaster for American cancer patients. The liberal principals of the foundation need to be second fiddle to the mission. Remember the mission here is cancer, not politics. Wake up

  • http://livestrong.org Brooke McMillan (LAF Staff)

    Matt-

    Obama never released a healthcare plan. He just speaks about broad principles. Cancer is a nonpartisan issue and we want to do what we can to be responsible and go through each plan carefully. That is why we haven’t endorsed or opposed any plan yet.

    On your first note- LIVESTRONG has and always will focus on the people affected by cancer in the United States. The new global initiative is in addition to the work we have done for 13 years in the United States.