The aim of the tour was to make a number of professional visits in Vietnam to gain an understanding of palliative care, which is in its infancy in the country, as well as cultural visits to better understand the county’s history.
After spending time in Hanoi, the group moved on to Hue, Vietnam’s former capital. Here they visted the cancer department at the Hue General Hospital. The hospital is funded by many different countries, including Japan, USA and Australia and the group found the hospital to be cleaner than the hospital in Hanoi, with single-sex rooms, more visible nurses in clean white uniforms and evidence of sharps containers.
The group also visited the Kim Long charity clinic, which is run by Buddhist nuns and treats many patients with HIV, which is a great stigma in Vietnam. Services include counselling and education, prevention, pain relief and home or rural care.
Next on the tour was Hoi An, where the group visited an acupuncture hospital to learn about traditional medicines and pain control. Charlotte adds: “Rather controversially we were advised that the drug DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), is widely used in lieu of morphine and very effective in pain control.”
Read Charlotte’s full article on the Australian edition of ehospice.
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