The IAHPC is delighted to welcome new Institutional Members, and to introduce them to the membership.
Comprehensive Cancer Care for Children in Honduras
In Honduras, where overall health is precarious, pediatric oncology treatment is not a national priority. In 1982, the Fundación Hondureña para el Niño con Cáncer: Salva Mi Vida responded to an obvious need by providing oncology diagnostic testing and medicine.
Photo courtesy of Fundación Hondureña para el Niño con Cáncer
But it didn’t stop there.
The Foundation decided to support treatment in a comprehensive way to improve the overall quality of life of young patients with cancer. While striving to attain a 70% cure rate among the 360 or more cases diagnosed each year, the Foundation provides a holistic array of services, including:
non-oncological medicines (for cancer complications, such as infection, pain, etc.)
inputs for diagnostic & therapeutic help (catheters, needles for biopsy, etc.)
lab tests for management of complications that cannot be done at hospital
radiological & imaging exams
transportation to the unit & temporary shelter
ambulatory chemotherapy clinics
food for those at nutritional risk
socioeconomic assistance
educational & recreational activities
wish fulfillment, when possible
And right now, the Foundation is planning a 22-bed pediatric hospice — a first for Honduras — in the capital, Tegucigalpa.
Home visits & physical space new in 2017
In 2017, the Foundation acquired a physical space for palliative patients within Hospital Escuela, but it is not ideal, as it is the same space for treatment of recently diagnosed patients whose hopes for a cure are great. That same year, home visits were begun.
‘Cancer is the second most common cause of death of children in Honduras,’ says Dr. Maria de los Angeles Mendoza, medical advisor to the Foundation. ‘There are many children and adolescents who require integrated support care in the early states, and palliative care in the advanced stages and at the end of life.’
Free services save families
from crippling financial burden
‘We do not like knowing that we will die, we accept it when the person has reached the stage of old age, but when faced by a child or adolescent, it is a hard blow and its acceptance is difficult.’ A financial burden at this difficult time would be crippling for the majority of families, who come from very low socioeconomic strata, so the Foundation offers its services free of charge.
In this way, the Foundation aims to help reverse a ‘deteriorated quality of life without the minimum conditions of comfort that patients require in the final stages of life.’
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How your gift supports the IAHPC mission
Achieved: $24,941
Goal: $30,000
83%
Education
Your gift funds the operational costs of our online courses taught by globally recognized experts who volunteer their time and provide educational resources relevant to palliative care topics. It also supports scholarships that enable palliative care workers to attend educational events and congresses, and allows us to maintain Pallipedia, the free, live, online dictionary.
The goal of this pillar is to implement strategies, resources and tools that will improve the competencies of the global workforce for appropriate palliative care delivery. We have two programs under this pillar plus many other resources for our members.
Your gift enables us to build and strengthen the partnerships that accelerate global, regional, and national advocacy for palliative care. We advocate for its integration into primary health care under universal health coverage and effective access to essential palliative care medicines and packages for people of all ages. Your gift supports our work to prepare delegates and participate in technical consultation meetings of the relevant UN organizations.
The goal this pillar is the integration of palliative care into primary health care within the spectrum of universal coverage to improve access to adequate care for patients in need. We offer the following to our members:
Documents on Human Rights and Access to Medicines and Care
Research
Your gift enables us to continue doing research that provides guidance and recommendations for action, based on responses from the global palliative care community. Such research includes our recent evaluation of the impact of euthanasia and assisted dying practices on palliative care workers and the use of essential medicines for palliative care. It also supports the costs of publications focused on research relevant to palliative care.
The goal of this pillar is to design and implement projects that lead to the integration of palliative care into health policies, resolutions, and key documents. Our studies help us provide guidance and recommendations, and take action based on the responses from the global palliative care community.
Your membership enables you to participate in IAHPC projects such as the:
Your gift enables us to continue our in-depth reporting and book reviews in Pallinews, as well as media campaigns that raise awareness about the need to increase access to care and support for patients and families.
We are a small organization that allocates over 80% of our budget to mission driven programs and to the maintenance of our free website. We need operational funding to continue the work.
Give a gift, get a gift
IAHPC members: When you gift a 2-year membership to a colleague in a low- or middle-income country, we extend your membership by 6 months.
Photo courtesy of Fundación Hondureña para el Niño con Cáncer
