Tea break reading: African palliative care in the news

24^th May – 30^th May 2014

News and views:

Editor’s pick:

Senegal: Africa’s Drug Scandal – Channel 4’s ‘Unreported World’ series looks at the [lack of] access to morphine in Senegal and uncovers the devastating consequences this has. Watch the trailer here on Youtube. Read a preview in the Radio Times, The Telegraph, ehospice, The Guardian and Hynd’s Blog.
Global: A historic resolution to relieve pain for all – The World Health Assembly voted on a historic resolution to ensure that the services extended to this gentleman would be prioritized for the 6.5 million people estimated to die each year without any access to pain medications. ONE Campaign.
Global: What’s wrong with the world’s favourite painkiller? – You’ve got a terrible headache. Niggling knee pain. An aching back. What do you reach for? Chances are that you’ll open your medicine cabinet and grab some paracetamol. Half an hour or so later, you’ll feel a lot better. Or will you? New Scientist.

Elsewhere in the news:

Global: From symptoms to spirituality: free online course to improve palliative care – Are you a healthcare professional in a developing country? Would you like to learn more about palliative care? Has planning palliative care for cancer patients proved challenging? ecancer’s free online course on palliative care was designed just for you. Africa edition of ehospice.
Global: Don’t kill the painkiller, educate the people – 1500 Americans die from accidental overdoses of paracetamol annually. New Scientist.
Global: What is the emotional impact of cancer? Discussion roundup – The key points from The Guardian’s online discussion on the long-term and short-term pyschological impact of diagnosis and treatment. The Guardian.
Global: Françoise Barré-Sinoussi: A life dedicated to beating AIDS – When a young virologist discovered HIV, she had no idea she would spend 30 years searching for a cure. She tells Patrick Strudwick the battle is far from over. The Independent.
Africa: APCA staff save lives by giving blood – APCA staff yesterday joined dozens of others in giving blood at the Hospice Health Fair at Hospice Africa Uganda. APCA.
Burundi: First palliative care workshop held in Burundi – Ciza Bonne, one of the coordinating committee of a recent palliative care training session in Burundi, writes for ehospice about why it was an important step forward for palliative care in Burundi. Africa edition of ehospice.
Sierra Leone: Shepherd’s Hospice trains Patient Educators in Bo, Sierra Leone – The Shepherd’s Hospice in Sierra Leone is a palliative and hospice care provider located in Freetown, Sierra Leone, along the impoverished west coast of Africa… Sierra Express Media.
Kenya: Palliative care training for Health Care Workers underway in Nyeri – Health Care Workers from the Mount Kenya Region attending a five day palliative care training. Kenya edition of ehospice.
Uganda: Prostate cancer turned his world upside down – William Menya Kibedi has been to hell and back. He turns around agitatedly on his four-inch mattress with pain tearing through his body. His wife, with a sorrowful face, fixes his pillows in a bid to secure him a more comfortable position. The Observer.
Uganda: Walter Reed project embarks on HIV vaccines – Makerere University Walter reed project is set to embark on two HIV vaccine trials in a bid to have a safe and affordable HIV vaccine specifically for Uganda. NBS TV.
Uganda: Hospice ‘health fair’ at Hospice Africa Uganda – A selection of photos from the ‘Hospice health fair’ at Hospice Africa Uganda. Africa edition of ehospice.
Uganda: Uganda celebrates ‘palliative care week’ – 26th to 31st May 2014 – Amy Petersen from Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) writes for ehospice about the up-coming events being held for ‘palliative care week’. Africa edition of ehospice.
South Africa: 40 percent of SA women are overweight – South Africa has the highest overweight and obesity rate in sub-Saharan Africa and ranks among the highest regions in the world in percentages for overweight and obese women. Health 24.

Inspiring stories:

Uganda: 10 years married to a mortuary worker – Grace Joseph Katumba worked as a mortician for 30 years and for 10 years, Agnes Nakibuuka is the shoulder that he has been leaning on. Christine Katende hunted down the recently-retired pathology assistant and his wife at their home in Semutto-Mukidondo Village, Luweero District, and Agnes shared with us what it means to be married to this man. Daily Monitor.

Research:

Sub-Saharan Africa: Collaboration across continents to produce e-learning for palliative care education in Sub Saharan Africa – Education remains vital to the effectiveness, recruitment, retention and sustainability of all palliative care teams. However, delivering education across Africa involves a number of resource challenges: availability of educators, the impact on organizations of time away for learners for face to face sessions, travelling distances, logistics and cost. Ecancer.

Jobs, awards and events:

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: 20th International AIDS Conference – The conference will be held from 20-25 July 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia and will represent a tremendous opportunity to highlight the diverse nature of the Asia Pacific region’s HIV epidemic and the unique responses to it. International AIDS Society.
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.
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.
South Africa: HPCA 2014 Conference – Who Cares? Improving patient outcomes – The conference will be held between the 15^th and 18^th September 2014 at the Lagood Beach Hotel in Cape Town. More details on the HPCA Conference Website.
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.

Because you’ve read this far:

Global: Ebola virus causes outbreak of infectious dance tune – Trippy, electro-beat song created to help get message across about how to avoid incurable disease in Guinea and Liberia. The Guardian.

Finally if you have any news, views, research, jobs or events that you would like included in next week’s round up, contact us.