An exhibition of photographs, video clips and narratives of patients and caregivers as well as a supporting casts of local celebrities brought greater depth to the understanding of palliative care at the event.
A ‘Before I Die’ physical and dynamic ‘tweet’ wall also made up part of the exhibition. A range of patient information leaflets translated into four languages was produced with the assistance and collaboration of Palliative Care Australia.
Hospis Malaysia introduced a new symbol, developed in conjunction with communication partner RAPP Malaysia, that they hope could represent palliative care in Malaysia and internationally. The symbol uses a combination of 2 hearts joined together to signify the partnership between patient/caregiver and palliative care worker, and an infinity loop to signify that a relationship remains in perpetuity even if a person dies. Currently, there is no recognisable universal symbol for palliative care.
Dr Ednin Hamzah, CEO and Medical Director of Hospis Malaysia said: “In some parts of the world, the terms ‘palliative care’ or ‘hospice’ do not really have an equivalent in the local language and the concept is often misunderstood in translation. A symbol or logo often are able to convey a message to augment the typical way that palliative care is explained.”
The launch of logo was officiated by the Minister of Health who gave a speech supportive of palliative care. Speeches by Professor Baroness Ilora Finlay from the UK House of Lords and Dato Richard Robless, Chairman of Hospis Malaysia provided further support for palliative care advocacy.
Later in the day, Professor Baroness Finlay presented a public lecture on ‘Euthanasia – a misunderstood term and its controversies’ and over the weekend an international ethics meeting was also held at Hospis Malaysia.
Dr Hamzah said: “I hope that the logo launch with the various collaterals will slowly demystify palliative care and be a focal point for palliative care advocacy.”
Find out more on the website: Palliative Care Malaysia or on Hospis Malaysia’s Facebook page.
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