Tea break reading: African palliative care in the news

20^th September – 6^th October 2014

News and views:

Editor’s pick:

Sierra Leone: Palliative care specialist becomes fourth doctor to die of Ebola in Sierra Leone – Olivet Buck, a palliative care specialist from Sierra Leone, has become the fourth Sierra Leonean doctor to die from the latest outbreak of Ebola. Africa edition of ehospice.
Uganda/Global: Dying without morphine – “As with all successful human rights movements, we need to put a face on the injustice of untreated cancer pain. Witnessing a clinic full of poor children with advanced cancer, crying in agony, should convince anyone that access to morphine is a human right”. New York Times.
Kenya: NTV AM Live’s episode on palliative care – Watch the NTV Kenya ‘AM Live’ episode that explores palliative care provision in Kenya – NTV Kenya.

Elsewhere in the news:

Global: It’s silly to be frightened of being dead – At the age of 96, the legendary editor Diana Athill writes about why the idea of death has never been less alarming. The process of dying though is another matter… The Guardian.
Global: Depression in palliative care patients shortens life expectancy – A study by the University of Liverpool has found that patients with advanced cancer who are depressed have a shorter life expectancy than other patients. International edition of ehospice.
Global: Palliative care or hospice? It’s not about giving up – “Mrs. G., a woman in her 50s, had been receiving disease-directed care for her breast cancer, but her condition reached a point where the treatment was not only failing to have the desired effect, but was also greatly limiting her quality of life… Huffington Post.
West Africa: WHPCA response to Ebola in West Africa – The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance has issued a statement regarding their concerns about the EBOLA situation in West Africa. ehospice.
West Africa: Ebola derails plans for largest floating hospital to visit W Africa – The Ebola crisis which has claimed over 3000 lives in West Africa has derailed the plans of the world’s largest floating hospital, Africa Mercy, to visit the region. The hospital ship has arrived in Cape Town where it is preparing instead for an eight-month stint in Madagascar. The South African Broadcasting Corporation.
West Africa: Scientists grapple with ethics in rush to release Ebola vaccines – Normally it takes years to prove a new vaccine is both safe and effective before it can be used in the field. But with hundreds of people dying a day in the worst ever outbreak of Ebola, there is no time to wait. Reuters.
Uganda/Africa: 21 years of “Compassion with Competence” by Hospice Africa – ehospice was honoured to be invited to take part in the 21st birthday celebrations of Hospice Africa in Liverpool, UK. ehospice.
Uganda: Irish Foreign Affairs Chairman presents €5,000 cheque to Jinja Hospice – The Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Pat Breen T.D., has presented a cheque of €5,000 to Clare Doctors Frank and Patricia Hassett of Jinga Hospice in Uganda. Africa edition of ehospice.
Malawi/Uganda: Palliative Care Support Trust in Malawi complete learning tour of Uganda – Dr Cornelius Huwa and Mrs Deliwe Kacheche of the Palliative Care Support Trust in Malawi write for ehospice about the their recently completed educational study tour of Uganda. Africa edition of ehospice.
Tanzania: Tanzanian and American hospice united in compassionate care – A Tanzanian and an American hospice learn from each other to enhance end-of-life care. Africa edition of ehospice.
South Africa: The Hospice Palliative Care Association launches its new campaign – The Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) has launched their exciting new campaign called Social Butterfly, and their ambassador, Lucas Radebe, was the first local celebrity to wear his tattoo. Publicity Update.
South Africa: Davison to promote assisted dying law – Sean Davison, the University of the Western Cape professor who helped his mother to end her life, says he sees no reason police would want to investigate him after he revealed this week he had assisted a friend to die. IOL News and News24.
South Africa: Easing the pain and fears of dying children – “Palliative care is not just helping people die. This is a common misconception,” says Meiring. “Palliative care experts are excellent at pain management and ensuring the patient and their relatives do not suffer unnecessarily…” TimesLIVE.

Jobs, awards and events:

Global: 2nd Paediatric Palliative Care Congress in Rome – The 2nd Paediatric Palliative Care Congress is to take place from 19 – 21 November 2014 in Rome. ehospice.
Global: #HPMGlobal twitter chat. Join Jim Cleary on twitter at 3pm (East Africa Time) every Monday to discuss the latest global palliative care issues. Twitter
Global: World Congress of Psycho-Oncology – The congress, which will be based around the theme of ‘Integrating phsycho-oncology into mainstream cancer care; from research into action’, will bring together experts from around the world to discuss new perspectives in clinical care, new data from research, innovative educational programs, advocacy, organisational issues and cancer policies. It is to beheld in Lisbon, Portugal from 20 to 24 of October 2014. International edition of ehospice.
Tunisia: 3rd International Francophone Congress on Palliative Care – The 3rd International Francophone Congress on Palliative Care will be held in Tunisia from the 15^th to the 17^th October 2015. See more on ehospice events.
Africa: Find all the latest jobs in palliative care and related fields – Visit ehospice’s job site to see the latest jobs in palliative care. African edition of ehospice.
Uganda: World Palliative Care Day event – Soccer Gala – PCAU is hosting a Soccer Gala to mark the World Palliative Care Day Event. 08:00am – 14:00pm 11^th October 2014. PCAU.
Kenya: The 4th Kenya National Palliative Care Conference 2014 – Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) is delighted to announce the 4th National Palliative Care Conference scheduled to take place from 12th to 14th November 2014 at Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi. KEHPCA.
Nigeria: 54th Society of Physiotherapy Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting – the sub-theme for this year’s conference is ‘The Role of Physiotherapy in Palliative Care for Terminally ill Patients’. It will take place in Asaba, Delta State between the 20^th and 25^th October 2014. NSP.