Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins launches Palliative Care Services

The new unit will help relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for patients and families facing advanced complex illness.

The launch of this service coincides with the World Palliative Care Day on October 6, 2007, a unified day of action to celebrate and support palliative care around the world aiming at raising awareness and understanding of the medical, social, psychological and spiritual needs of people living with life limiting diagnosis and their families; help relieve their symptoms and pain, calm their anxiety and help them and their families to cope with the situation.

"Our palliative care service started in January 2007, and is delivered to individuals facing a progressive life threatening illness and families who are bereaved. This service is provided by a dedicated team of palliative clinicians, pain specialists, social workers, dieticians, psychiatrists, specialized nurses, and a homecare team who assist the primary medical team in meeting the complex needs of the seriously ill patients in addition to supporting their families," commented Dr. Mohammad Hidayatullah, the palliative care specialist at Tawam Hospital.

He furthered:" Palliative care has become an important part of cancer care at Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine addressing the needs of every patient from diagnosis through the course of his/her treatment and even beyond the medical needs; this simply means addressing the emotional, intellectual and social needs of patients and their loved ones."

"For example the social worker is part of the palliative care team who provides a quality care through a continuum of settings: inpatient, outpatient and at home; a care that focuses on the physical, emotional and spiritual comfort of the patient and family. They may also help with financial issues; arrange family meetings; assist with the discharge from the hospital to home. The dietician helps with nutritional concerns. Homecare nurse follows up and assesses patients after discharge. Clinical psychologist helps with counseling for the patient as well as family members," he added.

"The palliative care team works on pain and symptoms control through every stage of illness along with providing patients with personalized, top-quality palliative care in any setting, including the comfort of their homes. It is an active, compassionate care aiming at soothing the suffering of our patients and their families and offering them the best possible quality of life in crisis time," Mr.Michel Heindel commented.

"It is worth noting that cancer has become the third cause of death in the UAE after heart diseases and road traffic accidents; rate of incidence continues to rise significantly in the past few years due to a variety of reasons. A recent study has shown that only 15% of those inflicted with debilitating pains associated with end-stage illnesses receive palliative treatment," Dr. Hedayatullah said.

Michael Heindel concluded: "The Palliative Care Unit is one of the many multifaceted health care quality initiatives embarked lately by Tawam Hospital in Affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine. It is unique in that it is the first of its kind not only in Tawam Hospital but also across the UAE. The launch of this service mirrors the critical role Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins plays in ensuring that the UAE people have the highest quality health care services."