From now on, doctors and social workers in Kyiv will jointly improve care for palliative patients
Palliative care today should be an integrated component of medical care, social care, psychological and spiritual support. Valentina Ginzburg, director of the Department of Health, is convinced of this.
According to her, this is exactly what the patient needs during the pre-terminal and terminal phases of the course of the disease.
Currently, palliative care in the capital is provided in four health care facilities. However, only in the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 2 and the Kyiv City Oncology Center, the conditions in the departments meet the requirements for the stay of such patients.
According to Valentina Ginzburg, the Department of Health Care is conducting an audit of medical institutions, the purpose of which is to resolve the issue of the possibility of opening new ones and bringing the existing ones into line with providing palliative care to the people of Kyiv.
In addition, in November 2017, a joint Order of the Department of Social Policy and the Department of Health Protection "On organizational measures regarding the interaction of health care and social protection institutions of the territorial community of Kyiv in the provision of palliative care" was issued. From now on, social workers and doctors will work together to improve the quality of care for the terminally ill.
Another step of the Department is the training of primary care doctors on how to write prescriptions for narcotic drugs.
"I am confident that thanks to this joint initiative of the Department of Health Care and pharmacists, we will achieve uninterrupted provision of appropriate drugs to patients who need pain relief," said Valentyna Ginzburg.
As for the immediate plans, they are focused, in particular, on the creation of mobile multidisciplinary teams to provide care to palliative patients outside the hospital.
"The vast majority of patients want to spend their last days in the family circle. This is where the issue of providing medical, psychological, social and spiritual assistance to them and their family members at home arises. That is why, at the same time as solving the problem of creating modern palliative departments, I consider it urgent to intensify the work on the implementation of the service of mobile palliative brigades in the capital," she emphasized.
Until recently, one such team for helping adults at the Kyiv City Oncology Center functioned in the capital. This year, the first outpatient mobile team to provide palliative services to children at home started working on the basis of the Kyiv City Clinical Skin and Venereal Hospital. In addition, the "Doctor in Your Home" pilot project, which was launched in the Podilsk district, is also aimed at helping palliative patients, which also provides joint patronage by doctors and social workers and terminally ill patients.
"The terminally ill need not only warm tea and a clean bed. They should receive adequate analgesia, psychological and social assistance. The latter also applies to members of their families. That is why a multidisciplinary approach and joint work of doctors, psychologists, social representatives and the clergy is so important," Valentina Ginzburg assured.
According to the information of the Kyiv City State Administration
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