2021; Volume 22, No 7, July
I Share IAHPC’s Goal of Equitable Care
Dr. Caryn Khoo (Photo used with permission.)
“I recently renewed as a lifetime member of IAHPC in support of its efforts in promoting equitable access to palliative care globally, from education to international policy development and advocacy. It has been almost a decade since my return to Malaysia after completing my hospice and palliative medicine fellowship in the USA. Though suffering is universal, there can be stark differences in palliative care delivery between developed and developing nations due to limited resources. The continued advocacy work of IAHPC helps in bridging this gap.
“Since palliative care was introduced in Malaysia in 1995, there has been an increasing number of service providers including community hospices. There is also basic integration of palliative care into the national health care system, and hospital-based specialist palliative care physicians. However, considerable unmet palliative care needs remain, with most services centered in urban areas. In response, the National Palliative Care Policy & Strategic Plan was launched by the Ministry of Health in 2019 as a framework to expand and improve palliative care throughout Malaysia over the next decade. It is hoped that this is the first of many more steps toward equitable palliative care for all Malaysians.”
— Shiao Yen (Caryn) Khoo, MD
Consultant Palliative Medicine Physician, Sunway Medical Centre, Selangor, Malaysia; and
Member of the National Palliative Care Development Working Group
It Is An Honor To Be Part of the Effort
to Relieve Health-Related Suffering
“I believe that IAHPC is the most authoritative palliative medical organization in the world. I learned about it when I was a student in the Department of Palliative Medicine at Vinnytsia National Pirogov Medical University, Ukraine. I am now one of the few doctors specializing in palliative medicine in mainland China. BenQ Hospital, where I work, is the only palliative medicine department in a tertiary hospital in Jiangsu Province. Our team consists of three doctors, four nurses, a medical social worker, a nutritionist, and a psychologist. We have nine beds in the ward, plus another 10 in a mobile unit. The service targets patients with incurable advanced diseases, such as malignant tumors, and dementia.
Dr. Zhi Zhou, second row center, with the palliative medicine team at BenQ Hospital in Nanjing, China. Photo used with permission.
“I was already a member of the European Association for Palliative Care and the Asia-Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network when I became a lifetime member of IAHPC. For me, it is a great honor. I have practiced palliative medicine in Eastern Europe and Africa, and I have a wealth of experience in symptom control. I hope that the future will hold even more opportunities as part of the IAHPC family, and opportunities to contribute to the cause of global peace and the relief of health-related suffering.”
— Zhi Zhou, MD
Department of Palliative Medicine,
BenQ Hospital, Nanjing, China
Dr. G. Udayangan Ramadasa, recipient of the “Most Innovative Outstation Physician” award in 2016. (Photo used with permission.)
The Enormous Impact of One Individual
“After receiving my training in general medicine, then palliative medicine (in Sydney), and being awarded the title of master trainer in palliative care in Sri Lanka, many accomplishments have been achieved: these are a few of the major ones:
“I am a founder member of Sri Lanka National Steering Committee on Palliative Care for cancer patients, under the Ministry of Health, which developed cancer pain management guidelines. The need for palliative care for both cancer and noncancer patients was established, and the National Strategic Framework for Palliative Care Development in Sri Lanka 2019-2023 was drafted.
“Multidisciplinary palliative care service of inpatient consultations and the outpatient unit were established at the Provincial General Hospital under my leadership in 2014.
“I helped develop the curriculum of the Post Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine, for which I continue to bethe course coordinator, lecturer, and examiner of the program.
“I am the convener of an end-of-life care task force established by the Sri Lanka Medical Association, am currently upgrading a palliative care manual I coauthored on management of noncancer patients.
“Being a lifetime member of IAHPC helps me to link to experts in palliative medicine in the world, which will help for my future endeavors.”
— Golukandalaye Udayangan Ramadasa, MD
Head and Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka