Like the rest of the world, Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) has been closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19. We are staying up-to-date and closely following the instructions issued by our Ministry of Health (MoH) as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live in the current world. From social distancing, working from home and distance learning to the way we are interacting with patients (and their families) with life threatening illnesses. We know that our patients are among the most vulnerable people to the Covid-19 infection. We, as their health care providers, are also very venerable to contracting the infection. Many of the hospices have put home visits on hold, outpatient services are minimal, day care and many other activities have been put on hold as well.
These are not easy decisions. We know that they affect our patients, cause fear and anxiety to them and their loved ones. They also affect us when we feel we are not able to do all that we can. Lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a major problem globally. It is what we hear from all of you. We would like to assure you that we are discussing these matters with our regional and global partners.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all as you work alongside other health care professionals to give the necessary support to our palliative care patients and to those who have contracted the virus. This a time when palliative care is most needed. Symptom management, psycho-social, spiritual and bereavement support are at the center of the care we provide at these hard times. We may not be able to visit our patients at home, but through modern technology, we can always keep in touch with them. Let us not desert them at this time. We should remain central to the response to this pandemic.
We are happy to share with you links to the necessary information on prevention, isolation and many other concerns you have. These links are from WHO, World Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), International Children’s Palliative Care Network (IPCN) and African Palliative Care Association (APCA). These will be very useful as you navigate your way around Covid-19. All the above information can be found on:
http://www.thewhpca.org/resources/category/covid-19
WHPCA, Palliative Care Voices, ICPCN, IAHPC and PALCHASE have also organized weekly virtual meetings every Friday from 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm. These are on zoom and you can all join using the instructions given below.
Time to talk: A virtual hub for people experiencing serious illness and the palliative care community during the COVID-19 pandemic. To join the zoom discussions use this link: https://zoom.us/j/921841689
Thank you to all of you for the dedication you have. We continue to hope and pray that this storm will soon go away.
Please take care of your selves, you too matter.
From all of us at KEHPCA (Board and Staff)
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